I  m 


mul 


THE  LIBRARY 

OF 

THE  UNIVERSITY 
OF  CALIFORNIA 

LOS  ANGELES 


LEILA; 


THE      ISLAND. 


LEILA 

Ml 


LEILA; 


OB, 


THE     ISLAND. 


A.NN  ERASER  TTTLER 
4trrnoE  or  "LEILA  IN  ENGLAND,"  "LEILA  AT  HOM," 


WITH  ENGRA  riNQS  BY  ORR,  FROM  ORIGINAL  DESIGN*. 


BOSTON: 
CROSBY    AND    NICHOLS. 


fafend  MMRtb*  to  Act  tlOmgn*,  to  th*  JMT  HO; 

Br  C.  8.  r»«c«  *  Co., 

h  tfc.  C«r»'t  Otk*  efdw  DittrM  Court  of  the  United  8WM  fcr  the  Smrth.ra  1 
«T  New  Turk. 


PZfe 


LEILA. 


CHAPTER  I. 

sea  still  bore  traces  of  a  recent  storm,  a 
heavy  surge  beat  upon  the. shore,  and  around 
a  bold  promontory  which  jutted  far  out  into 
the  ocean,  the  waves  dashed,  wildly  throwing 
their  white  foam  far  up  into  the  blue  sky. 
But  the  wind  was  hushed,  and  amidst  the 
dark  masses  of  luxuriant  foliage  which  at 
intervals  overhung  the  cliff,  scarce  a  leaf 
was  stirring.  Softly  swelling  hills  and  smil 
ing  valleys  lay  beneath  the  light  of  a  bril- 
liant sun.  Of  human  habitation  or  woodland 
pathway  there  appeared  none;  and,  far  as 
the  eye  could  reach,  one  solitary  group  alone 
was  discernible  upon  the  beach.  It  consisted 
of  one  who  had  passed  the  bloom  of  youth, 
but  in  whose  noble  turn  of  features  and  fine 
form  high  birth  was  apparent ;  an  elderly 
l* 

484108 

LIBRARY 


6  LEILA. 

female  in  the  dress  of  an  attendant  stood  by 
his  side,  and  both  were  bending  anxiously 
over  the  apparently  lifeless  body  of  a  beauti- 
ful child.  Hours  had  passed  away  in  their 
unwearied  efforts  to  reanimate  the  object  of 
their  anxious  care ;  but  hitherto  all  had 
proved  vain,  and  the  deepest  despondency 
wajS  apparent  in  the  father's  face,  for  such  he 
was.  A  brown  water-spaniel,  which  lay 
beside  them,  completed  this  melancholy 
group,  and  seemed  no  uninterested  spectator 
of  the  scene.  It  crept  closer  and  closer  to 
the  object  of  their  solicitude,  as  if  anxious 
to  impart  to  it  a  portion  of  its  own  life  and 
warmth,  and  with  eyes  fixed  on  the  pale 
features  of  the  child,  uttered  from  time  to 
time  a  low  melancholy  whine. 

"  Dash,  my  faithful  friend,  you  have  perilled 
your  life  in  vain.  Leila,  my  child,  my  child ! 
O  that  I  too  had  perished !  forgive  me,  heav- 
enly Father!  0  teach  me  to  say,  'Thy  will 
be  done!'"  Then  stooping  down  and  throw- 
ing back  the  auburn  ringlets  which  shaded 
the  sweet  face  of  the  child,  he  imprinted  a 
fond  kiss  on  its  pale  lips;  but  starting  up 
suddenly  he  exclaimed,  "Raise  the  head  a 
little  more — gently,  gently,  nurse — that  will 
do.  There  was  a  faint  movement,  I  am  sure 
there  was."  Mr.  Howard  continued  to  breathe 


LEILA.  -7 

into  the  lungs,  the  efforts  of  both  were  re- 
newed, and  after  a  considerable  inter  ral  they 
were  successful.  With  a  deep-drawn  sigh 
Leila  opened  her  eyes,  and  gazing  earnestly 
on  her  father,  exclaimed,  "  Where  am  I,  papa? 
— O  save  me,  save  me !" 

"You  are  safe,  my  child,  you  are  with 
your  papa  and  with  nurse ;  your  heavenly 
Father  has  saved  you,  and  here  is  your  brave 
Dash,  whom  Grod  has  made  the  instrument  of 
our  safety.  Yes,  without  your  efforts,  my 
faithful  friend,  never  would  this  frail  raft 
have  reached  the  shore."  The  dog  looked  up 
in  his  master's  face,  and  fawning  alternately 
upon  him  and  Leila,  seemed  to  partake  the 
general  joy. 

"  Now,  nurse,"  exclaimed  Mr.  Howard,  when 
after  a  considerable  interval  a  faint  tinge  of 
colour  showed  itself  on  Leila's  cheek — "now 
do  you  watch  my  darling  while  I  go  for  water 
from  that  blessed  spring.  See,"  he  continued, 
pointing  to  a  small  clear  rill  that  fell  over 
the  neighbouring  rock,  "  I  shall  not  have  far 
to  go — a  few  drops  of  wine  will  revive  her; 
how  grateful  should  we  be  that  the  chests 
too  are  saved,  fop  I  suspect  we  are  on  an 
uninhabited  island." 

"Merciful  Heaven!"  exclaimed  the  nurse, 
"  what  will  become  of  us  ?" 


8  LEILA. 

"Is  this  the  moment,"  Mr.  Howard  mildly 
answered,  "to  doubt  a  Father's  care?  Has 
he  not  brought  water  out  of  the  stony  rock; 
can  he  not  also  spread  for  us  a  table  in  the 
wilderness?" 

Leila  seemed  greatly  revived  by  the  re- 
freshing draught;  so  much  so,  that  Mr. 
Howard,  raising  her  in  his  arms  and  followed 
by  nurse,  proceeded  to  ascend  the  cliff  with  a 
view  of  finding  shade  from  the  oppressive  heat 
of  the  noonday  sun,  and  also  in  the  hope  of 
discovering,  amidst  a  chain  of  low  rocks  which 
in  one  part  overhung  the  beach,  some  friendly 
cave  where  they  might  find  shelter  for  the 
night.  For  a  while  the  search  was  vain,  but 
having  seated  nurse  under  the  shade  of  a 
lofty  tree,  and  placed  Leila  in  her  arms,  he 
walked  cautiously  forward.  The  rocks  in  this 
part  rising  almost  perpendicular,  formed,  as  it 
were,  a  wall  facing  the  sea,  leaving  a  narrow 
path  or  terrace  which  immediately  overhung 
the  cliff;  he  had  nearly  gained  the  end  of 
this  chain,  without  discovering  even  a  hollow 
which  might  afford  temporary  shelter,  when 
suddenly  a  bird  .flew  out  from  an  aperture  in 
a  rock  above  hia  head.  With  some  difficulty 
he  raised  himself  to  the  height  of  the  opening ; 
it  was  greatly  too  small  to  admit  any  one,  but 
by  throwing  in  some  fragments  of  loose  stooe, 


LEILA.  9 

he  ascertained  that  there  must  be  a  deep 
hollow.  To  examine  the  opposite  side  of  this 
portion  of  the  rock,  in  the  hope  of  finding 
an  entrance  to*  this  hollow,  became  his  imme- 
diate object ;  and~  hurrying  on  to  the  end  of 
the  chain,  he  doubled  the  point,  and  a  scene 
of  no  ordinary  beauty  lay  before  him.  A 
luxuriant  valley,  intersected  by  a  clear  rip- 
pling stream,  stretched  along  at  the  foot  of  a 
wooded  hill.  Vines  were  clustering  around 
many  of  the  trees,  and  grapes,  now  in  their 
prime,  were  hanging  in  rich  clusters.  The 
rocks  on  the  opposite  side  fronting  the  island 
were  partly  covered  with  brushwood  and  a 
variety  of  creeping  plants,  and  behind  a  branch 
of  this  underwood,  which  hung  down  upon  the 
ground,  Mr.  Howard  discovered  an  opening; 
it  "was  not  high  enough  to  admit  him  without 
bending  almost  double;  but  having  crawled 
for  a  little  way  on  his. hands  and  knees,  the 
space  became  greatly  enlarged,  and  he  found 
himself,  as  far  as  he  could  judge  from  the 
almost  total  darkness  which  surrounded  him, 
in  a  cavern  of  considerable  extent.  As  no 
aperture  in  the  rock  was  visible,  this  could 
not  be  the  hollow  he  was  in  search  of;  but 
perceiving  on  one  side  a  faint  ray  of  light  on 
the  ground,  he  was  guided  by  it  to  an  open- 
ing, and  having  entered  for  a  little  way 


10  LEILA. 

through  a  narrow  passage,  he  suddenly  found 
himself  in  a  spacious  cavern  with  a  high 
vaulted  roof;  the  rays  of  a  bright  sun,  dart- 
ing through  the  aperture,  struck  upon  the  sides 
of  this  cavern,  which  reflected  a  variety  of 
brilliant  colours,  and  the  floor  was  covered 
with  a  small  sparkling  gravel,  which  seemed 
perfectly  free  from  moisture  or  damp  of  any 
kind.  With  a  heart  overflowing  with  grati- 
tude for  the  blessings  which  had  followed  his 
preservation,  he  now  hastened  back  to  where 
he  had  left  his  child.  As  she  still  continued 
in  a  state  of  extreme  languor,  he  thought  it 
advisable  to  remove  her  at  once  into  the  inner 
-cavern,  and  there,  with  the  nurse's  assistance, 
to  make  her  such  a  bed  as  the  circumstances 
of  the  place  admitted  of. 

And  now,  my  young  friends,  as  I  know  you 
like  very  particular  descriptions,  I  will  not  only 
tell  you  how  Leila's  little  bed  was  prepared,  but 
mention  every  other  minute  circumstance  with 
regard  to  her  which  I  think  likely  to  interest 
you ;  but  first  I  must  go  back  a  little  way  in  my 
story.  In  that  fearful  storm  which  had  raged 
for  three  entire  days,  the  ship  in  which  Leila 
and  her  papa  were  proceeding  to  England,  was 
driven  far  out  of  its  destined  course,  and  when, 
after  losing  their  mainmast,  the  vessel  struck 
against  a  hidden  rock,  the  danger  seemed  so 


LEILA.  11 

imminent,  that  the  crew  and  the  other  passen- 
gers, regardless  of  the  darkness  and  the  raging 
sea,  with  rash  impetuosity  betook  themselves  to 
the  long-boat :  but  Mr.  Howard,  considering 
preservation  by  this  means  almost  impossible, 
resolved  to  remain  on  board,  in  the  hope  that 
the  wind  might  moderate,  and  the  dawn  whieh 
was  about  to  break  enable  him  to  make  some 
further  efforts  for  their  preservation.  Uncon- 
scious of  the  extent  of  injury  the  ship  might 
have  sustained,  he  bent  all  the  energies  of  his 
strong  mind  to  meet  the  dangers  of  their  situa 
tion.  By  tying  several  planks  of  wood  together 
he  formed  a  raft,  and  hastily  collecting  some 
Articles  of  food  and  clothing  in  two  chests  of 
considerable  size,  he  secured  them  firmly  upon 
the  raft,  and,  in  the  beautiful  language  of  Scrip- 
ture, "  longed  for  day."  The  wind  had  now 
considerably  abated,  and,  before  another  hour 
had  elapsed,  had  completely  fallen ;  and  as  the 
morning  broke,  it  was  with  emotions  of  the 
deepest  thankfulness  that  he  discovered  that 
they  were  within  a  very  short  distance  of  an 
island,  which  lay  to  the  south-west,  and  that  the 
wind,  which  was  now  no  more  than  a  gentle 
breeze,  was  setting  in  directly  for  the  shore. 
Fearful  that  the  turn  of  the  tide  might  lift  the 
ship  from  the  rock,  and  that  they  might  be 
driven  further  from  the  island,  he  felt  that  no 


12  LEILA. 

time  must  be  lost  in  attempting  to  gain  the  land. 
The  small  boat  had  been  detached  from  the  ship 
by  the  violence  of  the  storm,  and  to  the  raft  he 
found  he  must  commit  his  treasure  ;  but  Leila, 
although  but  just  entered  her  eighth  year,  had 
already  been  accustomed  to  lift  up  her  young 
heart  to  Him  who  can  still  the  raging  of  the 
storm,  and  say  to  the  angry  waves  be  still,  and 
she  submitted  without  a  murmur  to  all  her  father 
told  her  was  necessary  to  be  done.     A  couple 
of  rosaos,  or  silk  quilts,  on  which   they  slept, 
being  spread  upon  the  raft,  the  nurse  and  Leila, 
wrapped  in  boat-cloaks,  were  firmly  bound  down 
to  it  with  the  rest  of  the  bed-clothes ;  and  Mr. 
Howard  having  lashed  himself  to  one  of  the 
chests  by  means  of  a  rope^  round  his  waist,  leav- 
ing his  arms  free,  he  committed  himself  and  all 
most  dear  to  him  to  the  protecting  care  of 
Heaven.     Long  and  fearful  was  the  struggle. 
The  gigantic  waves,  as  they  lifted  the  frail  raft 
upon    their    swelling    crests,   swept   over   the 
wretched  party,  leaving  but  little  hope  of  their 
escaping  a  watery  grave ;  but  still  the  raft  rose 
buoyant  to  the  surface,  and  the  faithful  Dash, 
who  had  leaped  upon  it,  received  into  his  mouth 
the  end  of  a  rope  which  his  master  threw  to 
him,  and  jumping  into  the  sea,  assisted  its  di- 
rection to  the  land  with  almost  more  than  human 
Bkill,  so  that,  after  a  period  of  intense  anxiety, 


L  E  TLA.  13 

the  father  bore  the  body  of  his  then  inanimate 
child  to  a  place  of  comparative  safety. 

And  now,  having  landed  our  party  upon  the 
beach,  let  us  return  to  Leila  and  her  little  bed. 
The  warm  sun  having  by  this  time  dried  the 
bed-clothes,  and  Mr.  Howard  having  observed  a 
species  of  long  dry  grass  which  grew  at  the  foot 
of  the  rocks,  he  proceeded  to  gather  a  quantity 
of  it,  and  having  given  part  of  it  to  nurse  to 
prepare  a  couch  for  herself,  he  selected -a  corner 
in  the  cavern  where  the  rock,  from  projecting 
out  a  little  way,  formed  a  sort  of  canopy  over- 
head, and  spreading  the  grass  upon  the  ground, 
he  laid  the  silk  quilt  upon  it,  and  covering  Leila 
with  the  rest  of  her  bed-clothes,  he-knelt  down 
by  her  bed-side,  and  in  fervent  prayer  poured 
out  the  overflowings  of  his  grateful  heart  for  her 
merciful  preservation.  Earnestly  did  he  pray 
that  the  being  so  miraculously  preserved  should 
be  devoted  to  the  service  of  Heaven,  that,  with 
the  assistance  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  he  should  be 
enabled  to  bring  her  up  in  the  beauty  of  holi- 
ness, and  that  either  amidst  a  world  of  varied 
pleasures,  (should  she  be  restored  to  it  again,) 
or  in  this  solitary  island,  she  might  ever  look 
forward  to  that  heavenly  home  promised  by  a 
Saviour's  love,  and  to  those  joys  "  which  eye 
hath  not  seen  nor  ear  heard,  nor  hath  it  entered 
into  the  heart  of  man  to  conceive,  but  which 
2 


14  LEILA. 

God  hath  prepared  for  those  that  love  Him.** 
The  little  girl  was  not  able  to  repeat  her  usual 
prayers,  but  she  seemed  to  listen  to  her  papa ; 
for  as  he  concluded,  and  stooping  down  kissed 
her  cheek  and  fondly  blessed  her,  she  looked  up 
for  a,  moment,  and  faintly  smiling,  she  mur- 
mured, in  a  voice  scarcely  audible,  "  Thank  God 
for  saving  dear  papa  too !"  and  closing  her  eyes, 
she  seemed  again  to  sleep.  From  the  extreme 
languor  of  her  pulse,  Mr.  Howard  could  not 
help  still  feeling  very  anxious  about  her,  and 
thinking  that  he  might'  now  administer  a  little 
more  nourishment  with  safety,  he  hastened 
down  to  the  beach  where  he  had  left  the  chests ; 
they  were  greatly  too  heavy  to  be  removed  till 
lightened  of  their  contents,  but  having  taken 
out  a  canister  of  arrow-root,  a  few  biscuits,  a 
bottle  of  wine,  and  a  small  canteen,  he  returned 
to  the  cavern.  Short  as  his  absence  had  been, 
it  proved  too  much  for  the  fortitude  of  poor 
nurse.  The  sun  had  gone  down,  and  the  de- 
clining light  made  Leila's  pale  countenance 
appear  still  paler.  "  For  what  is  this  dear  child 
reserved  ?"  she  murmured  to  herself  as  she  gazed 
earnestly  upon  her;  "O  what  will  become  of 
her — what  will  become  of  all  of  us — shall  we 
never  see  dear  England  again  ?"  And  as  the  idea 
of  being  murdered  by  savages,  or  devoured  by 
wild  beasts,  rose  to  her  imagination,  she  burst 


.      LEILA.  15 

into  teafs.  But,  on  the  return  of  her  master, 
her  courage  seemed  to  revive  somewhat,  and  the 
sight  of  the  canteen  appeared  still  further  to 
refresh  her  spirits.  "  Well,  if  I  am  not  a  faint- 
hearted and  ungrateful  wretch,"  she  whispered 
to  herself  as  her  eye  fell  upon  it;  "here  is 
another  especial  blessing;  we  shall  do  all  well 
now ;"  and  the  savages  became  civilized,  and  the 
wild  beasts  tame,  and  nurse  was  herself  again. 
The  preservation  of  the  canteen  in  their  present 
circumstances  was  certainly  of  no  small  import- 
ance. Perhaps  some  of  my  little  friends  do  not 
understand  the  meaning  of  the  word  canteen ;  it 
is  a  box  fitted  up  with  a  variety  of  necessary  ar- 
ticles for  those  who  travel  by  sea  or  land.  Mr. 
Howard's  canteen  contained  a  small  tea-service 
of  four  cups  and  saucers,  tea-pot,  milk-pot, 
sugar-dish,  and  slop-basin;  the  same  number 
of  dinner-plates,  glasses,  tumblers,  and  knives 
and  forks ;  there  were,  besides,  four  saucepans, 
a  lamp,  a  bottle  of  spirits  of  wine,  a  tinder-box, 
and  a  ball  of  cotton-wick.  Every  thing  was 
made  to  fit  into  each  other  so  as  to  take  up 
little  room,  and  the  contents  of  the  whole  went 
into  a  large  brass  vessel,  with  a  cover  which 
fitted  close  to  the  box.  Can  you  wonder  that 
nurse  rejoiced  over  the  possession  of  those 
most  useful  articles,  and  that  she  should  dry 
her  eyes  and  tuck  up  her  sleeves,  and  long  to 


16  LEILA. 

be  at  work  again  ?  Mr.  Howard  havmg  struck 
a  light  and  trimmed  the  lamp  for  her,  she  very 
soon  prepared  a  sufficient  quantity  of  arrow- 
root for  the  refreshment  of  the  whole  party. 
Leila  partook  but  sparingly  ;  she  was  too  weak 
to  sit  up  in  bed,  but  her  papa  supported  her 
in  his  arms,  while  nurse  fed  her ;  and  after 
swallowing  a  few  spoonfuls  mixed  with  wine, 
she  was  laid  to  sleep  for  the  night. 

Although  Mr.  Howard  did  not  allow  himself 
to  give  way  to  despondency,  he  too  had  many 
anxious  thoughts  lest  the  island  should  prove  to 
be  inhabited  by  savages,  or  the  resort  of  wild 
beasts,  and  he  resolved  to  watch  for  the  night, 
with  Dash  by  his  side,  at  the  entrance  of  the 
cawern.  As  a  further  precaution,  he  collected  a 
quantity  of  dry  branches  of  wood  together,  and 
made  a  fire,  which  he  kept  up  during  the  dark- 
ness. The  air  was  balmy  and  refreshing,  the 
moon  rose  without  a  cloud  to  obscure  its  silvery 
light,  and  in  the  profound  solitude  which  sur- 
rounded him  in  the  stillness  of  this  first  long 
night,  with  what  deep  solemnity  and  heartfelt 
gratitude  did  he  raise  his  thoughts  to  that  mer- 
ciful Father  whose  protecting  arm  had  snatched 
him  and  his  dearest  treasure  from  the  jaws  of 
death !  True,  he  was  suddenly  cut  off  from  all 
intercourse  with  his  fellow-men,  and  the  many 
unknown  dangers  by  which  he  might  still  be 


LEILA.  17 

Burrounded,  at  times  pressed  heavily  upon  him  ; 
but  he  felt  the  immediate  presence  of  God  in  his 
state  of  desolation,  and,  assured  of  his  pity  and 
protecting  care  in  his  severest  dispensations,  he 
earnestly  prayed  that  this  trial  might  be  blessed 
to  him,  in  leading  him  more  entirely  to  trust 
God  alone. 


18  LEILA. 


CHAPTER  n. 

rPH.E  night  passed  without  alarm  of  any  kind ; 
and  as  the  morning  dawned,  Mr.  Howard,  fa- 
tigued with  watching,  fell  asleep.  He  awoke 
strengthened  and  invigorated,  and  found  Leila 
standing  by  his  side — no  longer  the  pale  Leila 
of  the  day  before,  but  blooming  as  a  rose,  and 
sparkling  with  intelligence.  Stretching  his  arms 
towards  her,  she  clung  round  his  neck,  exclaim- 
ing, "  Oh  papa,  how  glad  I  am  you  are  awake 
at  last !  Dash  and  I  have  been  watching  by  you 
for  a  long,  long  time." 

"Yes,"  answered  Mr.  Howard,  "Dash  has 
indeed  watched  faithfully ;  he  has  never  left  my 
side  during  the  whole  night 

."  But  Dash  is  a  dog,  papa,  and  I  am  a  little 
girl;'7  and  Leila's  dark  hazel  eyes  were  filling 
fast  with  tears.  Mr.  Howard  kissed  them  away. 
"Yes,  you  are  a  little  girl,  and  my  own  dear 
little  girl;  I  did  not  mean,  love,  that  you  should 
have  watched  by  me.  No,  both  papa  and  Dash 
were  glad  to  have  their  little  Leila  to  watch  by 
again.  Kneel  down,  my  lovej  and  repeat  your 


LKILA. 

nontmg  prayers.    Ood  ASS  been  Yery 

to  you,  my  chfld;  his  protecting  ana  ASS  guided 

vou  through  the  deep  sea;  he  has  now  raised 

safety— you  have  much,  my  LeOa,  to  be  grate- 
ful for." 

Leila  knelt  at  her  fisher's  side,  while  he,  in 

_:: __•_  ^  _._-_-, *  . :      .-.^  :.-•___ 

/-r.l~~-r- 


-Xow  call  muse,  my  love/'  continued  Mr. 
Howard,  "and  let  m  pfay  togedwr."  They  afl 
knelt,  while  he,  in  eloquent  though  simple 
hnguge,  gare  thanks  to  God  (or  their  preser- 

HJ-*^OIX       TTa  finiahj^l   V»v  ^fncrriMr    tlu»    HMHMIIMI 

hymn,  and  tears  filled  his  eyes  SB  SB  echo  from 

~._r  LT  __-    _r:r._;  r::^:  yr..;i.rTi   :_7  >:'i_^f  :: 
praise,  and  gave  back  to  his  ear  the  sweet  youth- 


HaTing  finished  tkeir  devotions,  Mr.  Howard, 
at  Leila's  earnest  request,  prepared  to  accom- 
pany her  into  the  inner  care,  where  she  wished 
him  to  breakfast  with  her. 

"Do,  papa,  come  into  my  new  bed-room!1'  she 
exclaimed,  "it  is  sneh  a  delightful  one;  I  like  it 
much  bettor  than  die  cabin,  it  is  so  large,  and 

or  chairs,  or  washhand  stand;,  and   when  I 
awoke  this  morning  I  could  not  think  where  I 


20  LEILA. 

was,  and  I  called  out,  '  Norse,  nurse,  where  am 
I,  and  why  is  the  ship  not  moving,  and  how 
curious  the  cabin  has  grown,  and  where  is  my 
washhand  stand?'  And  then  I  remembered 
about  the  ship,  and  about  your  tying  me  on  the 
raft.  0  papa,  I  was  so  frightened  when  you  did 
that ;  I  did  pray  to  God  a  great  deal,  and  I  knew 
he  would  take  care  of*me,  and  of  you  too,  papa, 
and  yet  I  was  frightened.  I  hope  God  will  not 
be  displeased  with  me,  for  indeed  I  could  not 
help  it." 

"  No,  my  child,  you  have  no  reason  to  fear 
God's  displeasure;  he  knew  your  weakness, 
Leila,  and  he  gave  you  strength;  without 
strength  from  Heaven,  you  could  not  have  gone 
through  such  danger."  * 

"  Yes,  papa,  God  was  very  good  to  take  such 
care  of  us  all,  and  bring  us  safe  into  this  cave, 
and  I  will  love  him  very  much ;  but  I  hope  he 
will  not  put  us  on  the  raft  again,  for  I  don't  like 
it  at  all.  I  saw  a  great  big  wave  coming,  and  I 
shut  my  eyes,  and  I  don't  remember  any  thing 
more  after  that  till  this  morning,  when  I  looked 
up,  and  saw  no  washhand  stand." 

"  And  were  you  very  much  grieved,  Leila,  at 
the  loss  of  your  washhand  stand  ?" 

"  No,  papa,  I  am  not  the  least  sorry ;  I  like 
it  much  better,  for  nurse  manages  me  so  cleverly. 
Do  you  know,  papa,  how  she  managed  ?" 


LEILA.  21 

"  No,  indeed,  love,  I  do  not." 

"  Well,  papa,  you  see  this  was  what  she  did. 
Y"ou  know  I  could  not  have  been  tidy  or  com- 
fortable without  being  washed ;  so  she  wrapped 
me  up  in  the  pink  silk  quilt,  and  took  me  in  her 
arms.  Do  you  know  now,  papa  ?" 

"  Yes,  I  think  I  can  guess." 

''  O  no,  papa^yoU;  are  not  to  guess,  I  am  to 
tell  you.  Well,  you  see — but  are  you  listening?" 

"  Yes,  my  love,  I  am  listening." 

"  Then  don't  look  melancholy,-  dear  papa,  for 
it  is  a  funny  story.  Now  I  will  tell  you — but 
where  was  I  ?" 

"  You  were  in  a  pink  silk  quilt,  Leila,  1 
think." 

"  Yes,  so  I  was,  papa ;  and  now  I  am  glad, 
for  you  are  laughing  again.  Well,  nurse  took 
me  in  her  arms,  and  carried  me  a  little  way  into 
another  room  which  had  no  window  ;  and  it  was 
rather  dark — no  light  but  from  the  door ;  and 
it  was  not  a  right  door  either,  only  a  hole  in  the 
rock,  and  nurse  was  too  tall  for  it,  and  she  had 
to  scramble  out  on  her  hands  and  knees,  which 
made  me  laugh  very  much ;  and  when  we  got 
out,  there  you  were  sound  asleep  upon  the  grass, 
and  your  head  leaning  against  the  rock ;  and 
nurse  said  it  was  a  hard  pillow  for  poor  papa,  and 
I  wanted  to  kiss  you  very  much,  but  nurse  said 
no,  for  it  would  disturb  you.  Dash  lay  beside 


22  LEILA. 

you,  and  when  he  saw  me  he  jumped  up,  and 
seemed  so  happy ;  and  he  followed  us  a  little 
bit,  and  then  he  turned  and  looked  at  you,  and 
'went  back;  and  you  know,  papa,  that  is  better; 
for  Dash  is  so  fond  of  the  water  he  would  have 
splashed  us  all,  and  made  me  wet." 

"  So  you  were  to  be  kept  dry,  were  you  ?" 

"  Well,  papa  is  quite  wrong*for  he  was  about 
to  guess  that  his  little  girl  had  been  bathed  in 
that  clear  stream  which  I  see  at  a  distance, 
dimpling  and  sparkling  in  the  sun." 

"  And  you  have  guessed  quite  right,  papa, 
and  I  was  bathed ;  and  I  liked  it  so  much :  the 
water  was  not  cold  at  all,  and  nurse  found  out  a 
place  which  was  quite  smooth  and  not  full  like 
the  sea ;  and  I  could  see  pebbles  and  sand  at  the 
bottom  quite  well,  and  a  great  many  little  fish 
were  swimming  about ;  but  when  I  tried  to 
.  catch  them,  they  all  scampered  away :  and  when  • 
we  were  coming  back,  I  saw  a  great  many  beau- 
tiful  birds  in  the  trees,  and  a  great  many  cats 
were  running  up  and  down  the  branches ;  and 
sometimes  they  sat  quite  still,  holding  up  their 
heads  so  well,  much  better  than  our  cats  do ; 
and  they  had  long  feathery  tails,  which  they 
curled  up  about  their  faces.  Do  you  think  I 
could  teach  my  cat  to  hold  up  its  head  and  curl 
up  its  tail  in  that  way  ?" 

"  Indeed,  my  dear  Leila,  I  fear  youi  poor  cat 


LEILA.  28 

by  this  time  is  not  much  in  spirits  to  hold  up  its 
head  and  curl  its  tail.  You  know  we  could 
not  bring  away  every  thing  with  us ;  the  poor 
cat  was  left  in  the  ship :  but  those  little  animals* 
you  saw  could  not  be  cats,  they  probably  were 
squirrels.  And  what  more  did  you  see,  my 
love?" 

"  I  saw  grapes,  papa,  large  bunches  of  grapes 
hanging  from  the  trees,  and  they  looked  so 
good,  but  nurse  did  not  stop  to  gather  them: 
she  said  you  would  give  me  some,  if -you 
thought  it  right  for  me  to  have  them.  I  think, 
papa,  this  is  the  most  delightful  place  I  ever 
was  in  in  all  my  life.  I  like  it  much  better  than 
India ;  I  should  like  to  stay  here  always,  bet- 
ter than  to  go  to  England.  Will  you  stay, 
papa?" 

Mr.  Howard  looked  at  his  child,  and  sighed 
deeply.  "  Leila,"  he  said,  "  listen  to  me.  Do 
you  remember  me  telling  you  stories  about  a 
desert  island  and  Eobinson  Crusoe?" 

"  And  his  man  Friday,  papa?  O  yes,  I  do 
remember  it ;  it  was  a  delightful  story." 

"  Well,  my  love,  from  all  I  have  observed,  I 
am  convinced  we  have  been  cast  upon  a  desert 
island." 

"  0,  how  glad  lam!"  Leila  exclaimed  joy- 
fully ;  but  seeing  the  melancholy  expression  of 
her  papa's  face,  she  suddenly  stopped.  "  Why 


24  LEILA. 

are  you  sorry,  papa  ?  Do  you  not  like  to  stay 
here?" 

"  My  dear  Leila,  you  know  a  desert  island 
•%eans  a  place  without  inhabitants,  where  there 
are  no  men  or  women.  Would  you  like  to  re- 
main here,  alone,  my  love?" 

"  Not  alone,  papa — I  should  not  be  alone ;  I 
should  have  you  and  nurse  with  me ;  and,"  she 
continued,  lowering  her  voice,  "  you  know  God 
is  here  also,  and  he  will  take  care  of  us." 

"  Yes,  dear  Leila,  you  are  right.  God  is  here, 
and  he  is  all-sufficient  •  he  will  give  us  all  that 
is  good  for  us.  He  has  shown  us  even  now  that 
he  is  mighty  to  save  ;  he  has  preserved  us  in  a 
great  danger,  and  has  added  other  blessings  :  he 
has  provided  a  shelter  for  us.  This  cave,  Leila, 
which  pleases  you  so  much,  is  the  work  of  hia 
hands :  he  has  guided  us  to  find  it,  he  has  given 
us  food  for  the  present,  and  he  will  provide  for 
the  future.  Let  us  trust  to  him  entirely,  and 
cheerfully  submit  to  his  will ;  he  has  placed  us 
here,  it  must  be  for  our  good.  Oh,  with  you, 
my  child,  and  with  this  treasure,"  and  he  took 
from  his  breast  a  small  pocket  Bible,  (his  con- 
stant companion,)  "  have  not  I  all  that  is  most 
precious  in  life  and  death  ?" 

While  Leila  and  her  papa  were  conversing 
together  in  this  manner,  nurse  had  not  been 
'die  :  she  had  rekindled  the  fire,  and  prepared 


LEILA.  25 

some  cocoa  and  arrow-root.  "  And  now,  sir," 
she  said,  "  where  will  you  be  pleased  to  break- 
fast?" 

"  Why,  here,  nurse,  I  think.  "We  shall  hav'0 
very  pleasant  shade  under  the  rocks." 

"  O  no,  papa,  not  here,  if  you  please,"  Leila 
exclaimed.  "  You  know  you  promised  to 
breakfast  with  me  in  my  bed-room,  and  there  is 
every  thing  nice  there." 

"  Did  I,  my  love  ?  Well,  be  it  so ;"  and,  to 
Leila's  no  small  delight  and  amusement,  Mr. 
Howard  began  immediately  to  scramble  into  the 
cave,  followed  by  nurse.  Poor  nurse  found  it 
no  easy  task  to  convey  the  cocoa  and  arrow- 
root in  safety ;  but  she  did  make  it  out  at  last. 

"  Our  first  task,"  observed  Mr.  Howard,  "  must 
be  to  endeavour  to  enlarge  our  entrance,  for  this 
is  sad  work.  Papa  is  too  stiff  now  to  be  able  to 
creep  in  and  out  this  way  every  time  he  enters 
his  house.  And  now,  Leila,  that  we  have  got 
into  your  bed- room,  where  every  thing  is  so  nice, 
where,  if  you  please,  is  your  breakfast- table  for 
us,  and  your  chairs?" 

Leila  looked  rather  puzzled  for  a  moment, 
but  brightening  up,  she  exclaimed,  "  Now  I 
know  what  to  do;  I  have  a  contrivance. 
You  shall  sit  upon  my  bed,  papa,  and  the 
canteen  will  be  your  table — you  like  a  little 
table,  papa — a  very  little  table,  eh  ?" 
3 


26         »  LEILA. 

"  Yes,  dear,  I  like  a  little  table,  and  I  like 
still  more  a  little  girl  who  exerts  herself  to 
make  the  best  of  things.     We  must  all  now 
have  our  contrivances,  Leila,  and  endeavour  to 
make  every  thing  as  comfortable  about  us  as 
possible.     Even  a  little  girl  of  eight  years  old 
can  be  of  great  use,  and  you  will  from  hence- 
forth assist  both  papa  and  nurse  in  all  that 
your  strength  is  equal  to.     As  soon  as  we  have 
breakfasted,  we  will  all  go  down  to  the  beach 
together  and  unpack  the    chests.     We  shall 
then  see  what  stores  we  have  to  trust  to,  and 
bring  them  up  and  arrange  them. — Do  you 
think  you  will  be  able  to  spare  us  a  little 
corner  of  your  bed-room  for  a  store-closet  ?" 
" 0  yes,  papa ;  and  may  I  keep  the  key?" 
"  Yes,  my  love,  when  we  have  a  door  and  a 
lock  on  our   closet,  you  shall  keep  the   key. 
But  where  are  those  things  to  be  found  here, 
Leila?     However,  I  have  also  a  contrivance: 
when  the  chests  are  empty,  we  shall  be  able  to 
remove  them  here.     One  of  them  will  do  for 
the  store-closet  at  present,  and  they  will  also 
make  very  good  seats  for  us  to  use  till  I  am 
able  to  attempt  making  others." 
"  But,  papa,  can  you  make  chairs  ?" 
"Why,  not  perhaps  very  well,  Leila,  for  I 
have  not  practised  of  late ;  but  when  a  little  boy, 
I  lived  in  the  country,  and  used  to  be  very  fond 


LEILA.  27 

of  looking  at  the  carpenter  at  work,  and  assist- 
ing him ;  and  my  father  encouraged  me  in  this, 
and  allowed  a  sufficient  quantity  of  wood  to  be 
given  to  me  to  make  a  set  of  garden-chairs; 
although,  probably,  not  very  perfect,  they  were 
greatly  admired  by  my  two  little  sisters ;  and  I 
also  made  a  chair  for  each  of  them  for  the 
nursery,  and  a  small  table  for  our  old  nurse ;  and 
a  very  happy  boy  I  was  the  first  evening  I  saw 
her  sit  down  to  drink  tea  at  this  little  table." 

"  How  nice  that  was,  papa !  I  like  so  much 
to  hear  what  you  did  when  you  were  a  little 
boy.  Will  you  tell  me  something  more  that 
you  did?" 

"  Not  now,  my  love :  you  have  finished  your 
basin  of  arrow-root,  and  we  have  breakfasted ; 
so  let  us  proceed  to  the  beach  and  commence 
our  work.  Yes,  Dash,  my  good  fellow,  you 
are  wagging  your  tail,  and  preparing  joyfully 
to  follow  us,  though  you  have  had  a  most 
miserable  breakfast :  but  you  shall  have  a  better 
dinner,  my  friend,  if  I  should  go  without  it 
myself." 

They  accordingly  proceeded  to  the  beach, 
Dash  keeping  close  to  Leila's  side,  as  if  afraid 
that  her  papa's  arm  was  not  sufficient  protection 
along  the  narrow  pathway  that  overhung  the 
cliff.  On  reaching  the  beach,  Mr.  Howard  ob- 
served that  the  ship  lay  in  exactly  the  same 


28  LEILA. 

position,  and  many  a  longing  eye  did  he  cast 
towards  it ;  the  distance  was  not  great,  and  how- 
much  did  it  contain  which  it  would  now  be  of  the 
last  importance  for  them  to  possess !  His  anx- 
iety to,  reach  the  wreck  greatly  increased  on 
examining  the  contents  of  the  chests,  for  the 
stock  both  of  provisions  and  clothes  was  ex- 
tremely scanty — in  fact,  it  had  been  impossible 
to  carry  much  upon  the  raft,  and  in  many  neces- 
sary articles  they  were  totally  deficient.  Mr. 
Howard  felt  how  necessary  it  was  that  he  should 
possess  a  musket  and  gunpowder,  both  as  a  de- 
fence against  any  danger  which  might  threaten 
them,  and  as  a  means  also  of  providing  for  their 
future  wants  when  their  provisions  should  fail. 
Carpenters'  tools,  also,  were  requisite  to  enable 
him  to  improve  their  habitation,  and  to  give 
them  many  little  comforts  which,  he  felt  assured, 
with  the  assistance  of  these,  he  could,  procure 
them.  Of  books  and  writing  materials  they 
had  none ;  and  what  a  resource  would  the  pos- 
session of  them  prove  in  their  state  of  banish- 
ment I  But  to  leave  Leila,  even  for  an  hour,  to 
brave  a  second  time  a  danger  which  might 
separate  him  from  her  for  ever  —  it  was  not  to 
be  thought  of;  and  giving  one  long  look  across 
the  expanse  of  waters  to  where  the  vessel  lay, 
he  sighed  deeply;  then  turning  towards  hia 
child,  he  clasped  her  in  his  arms,  and  pressed 


LEILA.         .  29 

aer  to  his  heart.  But  in  the  next  moment  he 
again  felt  uncertain  if  he  were  acting  right. 
Was  he  entitled,  from  the  dread  of  an  uncertain 
danger,  to  neglect  those  means  for  improving 
their  condition  which  Heaven  seemed,  still  to 
detain  within  his  reach?  He  remembered,  also, 
that  a  small  medicine-chest  which  he  had  put 
aside  with  the  other  things,  had,  in  the  haste  of 
departure,  been  left  behind.  He  pictured  to 
himself  Leila  sick  and  ill,  and  deprived  of  those 
remedies  which  might  bring  relief,  and  he  no 
longer  hesitated — he  would  go;  and  turning  to 
his  child,  he  said,  "Leila,  I  must  leave  you, 
but  only  for  a  short  time,  love." 

"  0  do  not  leave  me — do  not  leave  me,  dear 
papa  1"  she  exclaimed,  and  she  clung  to  his  knees 
and  trembled  violently. 

Mr.  Howard  saw  that  his  little  girl's  spiritb 
had  been  much  weakened  by  the  trying  scenes 
she  had  been  exposed  to.  In  general,  she  had 
great  command  over  herself  for  one  so  young. 
Deprived  in  early  infancy  of  a  mother's  care, 
she  had  been  his  sole  interest.  She  was  a  child 
of  naturally  quick  temper  and  strong  sensibility ; 
but  he  had  taken  infinite  pains  to  teach  her  to 
subdue  her  feelings ;  and,  in  general,  his  slight- 
est wish  was  to  her  a  law. 

"Leila,"  said  he,  "you  are  forgetting  your 
self;  be  composed,  my  love;  put  your  trust  in 


30  LEILA. 

God,  he  will  watch  over  my  safety,  and  restore 
me  to  you  again ;  he  has  placed  us  here,  Leila, 
and  we  cannot,  know  for  how  long  or  how  short 
a  time ;  and  I  am  anxious  to  reach  the  ship,  that 
I  may  bring  br,ck  more  provisions,  and  many 
things  that  will  be  of  use  to  us." 

"  But,  papa,  you  said  that  God  would  provide 
for  us :  should  we  not  trust  in  him  ?" 

"  Yes,  my  love,  in  all  things  we  should  trust 
in  God ;  but  in  putting  our  confidence  in  him, 
.  we  must  not  neglect  the  means  he  has  put  within 
our  power — we  must  not  wait  in  slothful  idle- 
ness, that  he  may  supply  our  wants ;  we  must 
work  and  do  all  we  can,  arid  he  will  bless  our 
endeavours.  He  is  providing  for  us  now,  Leila, 
by  stilling  the  winds  and  waves,  and  keeping 
the  ship  fixed  upon  the  rocks^  where  I  can  yet 
reach  it.  Were  the  wind  to  rise  again,  the  ship 
most  probably  would  bo  driven  to  pieces,  and 
every  thing  in  it  will  be  cast  into  the  sea.  I 
must  not  lose  time :  sec  ho^v  still  and  quiet  the 
waters  are  I" 

"  Then  take  me  with  you,  dear  papa ;  I  should 
like  to  go." 

"  What,  Leila !  would  y  ou  venture  again  upon 
the  raft?" 

Leila  shuddered  and  turned  ve^y  p^,  but; 
struggling  with  her  feelmg?,  &»  vii  •  Yea 
papa,  with  you  I  will  go." 


LEILA.  31 

"My  love,  I  know  you  would  go,  were  it 
necessary  ;  but  it  is  not  necessary  ;  on  the  con 
trary,  were  you  with  me,  anxiety  for  your  safety 
would  occupy  too  much  of  my  attention,  and 
prevent  me  from  thinking  of  many  things  which 
I  might  bring  back  with  me,  and  which  will 
greatly  increase  our  comfort  No,  you  will 
remain  with  nurse ;  but  do  not  quit  the  beach ; 
I  shall  then  be  able  to  keep  you  in  view  almost 
the  whole  time.  Employ  yourself,  my  love,  by 
assisting  nurse  to  unpack  your  clothes  from  the 
chests — that  will  prevent  you  tiring." 

Leila  offered  no  further  remonstrance,  but 
silently  moving  towards  the  raft,  she  began  to 
assist  her  papa  in  adjusting  the  ropes.  Mr. 
Howard  unbound  an  oar  which  he  had  lashed 
to  the  side,  from  the  idea  that  it  might  be  use- 
ful at  a  future  time,  and  pushed  the  raft  down 
to  the  water's  edge.  "  This  oar,"  he  said,  "  will 
do  me  good  service ;  and  Dash  shall  remain  to 
watch  by  nurse  and  my  little  Leila."  He  lifted 
her  in  his  arms  as  he  spoke,  and  carrying  her  a 
short  distance,  he  seated  her  on  the  beach. 
"  Down,  Dash,  down  I  by  Leila's  side."  The  dog 
instantly  obeyed ;  then  bending  over  his  child, 
he  embraced  her  fondly,  and  hurrying  from  her, 
he  leaped  lightly  upon  the  raft,  and  pushed 
from  the  shore. 

Leila  sprang  to  her  feet,  and  flew  towards 


32  LEILA. 

the  water's  edge,  but  suddenly  stopping,  she 
dropped  upon  her  knees,  and  throwing  up  her 
arms  to  heaven,  and  clasping  her  little  hands, 
she  exclaimed,  "  0  God !  listen  to  Leila's  prayer 
— let  there  be  no  winds  in  the  sky,  let  there  be 
no  waves  in  the  sea — send  back  papa  to  Leila — • 
0  send  him  back  !" 

Dash  looked  wistfully  at  the  child,  then  pur- 
sued the  raft  with  his  eyes,  as  if  to  ascertain 
who  most  required  his  aid,  when,  plunging  sud- 
denly into  the  water,  he  stood,  the  next  mo- 
ment, by  his  master's  side.  Mr.  Howard  saw 
that  opposition  was  vain ;  and,  "  To  the  ship, 
Dash — to  the  ship,  my  good  fellow  !"  were  the 
last  words  which  were  wafted  to  Leila's  ear,  aa 
Mr.  Howard  threw  the  rope  to  the  faithful  ani- 
mal, who  caught  it  in  his  mouth,  and,  leaping 
into  the"  sea,  swiftly  pursued  his  way  through 
the  unruffled  deep. 


LEILA.  33 


CHAPTEK  III. 

I"  EILA  stood  for  some  moments  irnmoveable ; 
then  drying  her  eyes,  and  turning  to  nurse, 
she  said,  "  Now  let  us  count  my  clothes." 

Nurse  was  too  glad  to  have  her  dear  child 
employed,  but  was  considerably  distressed  to 
find  how  soon  Miss  Leila's  clothes  were  count- 
ed:  her  wardrobe  was  indeed  sadly  deficient. 
"  And  not  a  stocking  to  put  upon  your  dear 
little  feet  1"  she  exclaimed  in  dismay ;  "  0,  to 
think  your  papa  should  have  forgotten  your 
stockings,  of  a]l  things  in  the  world!  What 
will  become  of  you  in  the  cold  weather  ?  And 
here  are  only  your  very  oldest  frocks ;  and  your 
pink  gingham,  and  your  beautiful  blue,  the  very- 
last  frocks  which  were  sent  you  from  England, 
not  here." 

"  Never  mind,  nurse,  about  my  stockings," 
Leila  answered ;  "  perhaps  it*will  never  be  cold 
here :  you  know  papa  said  that  in  other  places 
in  India  it  was  not  nearly  so  cold  as  where  ws 
were ;  and  my  old  frocks  will  do  very  well — 
perhaps  papa's  friends  will  not  come  often  to 


34  LEILA. 

dinner  here.  But  I  wish  papa  would  bring 
back  my  cat  with  him.  Do  you  think  he  will 
remember?  I  should  like  him  to  bring  my 
cat  much  better  than  my  stockings — would 
you?" 

Nurse  was  a  perfectly  truthful  person,  and 
she  found  this  rather  a  difficult  question  to  an- 
swer. She  was  not  particularly  fond  of  cats; 
and  as  she  had  worked  all  Leila's  stockings 
herself,  she  had  a  sort  of  motherly  interest  in 
them,  they  seemed  as  if  a  part  of  Leila's  self. 
"  Indeed,  my  dear  Miss  Leila,"  she  said,  "  as  to 
your  stockings,  you  know  there  would  be  no 
replacing  them  here;  for  where  am  I  to  get 
cotton  and  fine  wires  to  work  your  stockings 
in  a  desert  island?  And  as  to  your  cat,  poor 
thing !  I  am  sorry  for  the  creature  ;  but  indeed 
we  shall  have  enough  of  mouths  to  fill  here 
without  cats.  There  is  Dash,  poor  fellow !  who 
has  been  so  useful  to  us,  he  will  often  be  ill 
enough  off,  I  fear." 

"But,  nurse,  papa  is  to  give  half  his  dinner 
to  Dash,  and  I  will  give  half  mine  to  my  cat, 
and  my  breakfast  also.  And  you  know  papa 
said,  when  we  went  to  England,  I  should  have 
a  nice  little  girl  to  play  with — my  cousin  Seli- 
na.  You  know,  nurse,  I  never  saw  a  little 
cousin,  and  I  wished  so  much  to  see  one ;  but 
now  we  are  not  going  to  England,  so  I  should 


LEILA.  35 

like  my  cat  to  play  with  instead  of  my  cousin 
Selina." 

Nurse  was  too  fond  of  her  little  charge  to 
oppose  her  wishes  farther  ;  besides,  being  a  per- 
son of  a  sanguine  disposition,  she  took  a  more 
enlarged  view  of  the  subject,  and  felt  assured 
that  Mr.  Howard  would  remember  to  bring 
back  both  the  cat  and  the  stockings ;  and  that 
the  cat  would  show  a  reasonable  discretion,  and 
not  take  Leila  at  her  word. 

Having  finished  their  employments,  they  ad- 
vanced again  to  the  water's  edge,  to  watch  the 
return  of  the  raft.  They  soon  observed  it  ad- 
vancing rapidly ;  Mr.  Howard  stood  erect  upon 
it,,  waving  something  in  his  hand — it  was  Lei- 
la's guitar.  In  a  few  nrnutes  more  she  was  in 
his  arms,  and  covering  his  cheeks  with  kisses, 
"My  dear,  dear  papa,"  she  exclaimed,  "I  am 
so  happy  you  are  come  back  to  me  again;  and 
how  good  in  you  to  bring  my  guitar !" 

"  1'es,  Leila,  I  saw  it  tying  in  your  cabin,  and 
I  could  not  resist  bringing  it ;  but  I  have  been 
obliged  to  leave  much  behind,  my  love.  I  must 
go  back  to  the  ship — yes,  it  is  quite  necessary 
I  should  go  back.  By  the  time  I  had  arranged 
an  additional  supply  of  provisions,  of  clothes, 
and  the  chest  of  carpenters'  tools,  I  found  the 
raft  sufficiently  loaded ;  I  must  now  return  for 
the  books,  and  some  other  article*  " 


3Q  LEILA. 

"  Then,  sir,  will  you  be  pleased  to  remember 
Miss  Leila's  stockings,"  observed  nurse. 

Mr.  Howard  relieved  her  anxiety  by  assu- 
ring her  that  they  had  already  been  remem- 
bered. 

"  And  please,  papa,  bring  my  cat  when  you 
come  again  ;  for  I  am  to  play  with  her  instead 
of  my  cousin  Selina — you  know  we  are  not 
going  to  England  now." 

"  Dear  innocent  child  I"  exclaimed  Mr.  How- 
ard, "  yours  is  indeed  a  happy  age.  Come  here, 
Dash  1"  he  said,  as  he  advanced  towards  the  raft, 
and  lifted  up  a  small  covered  basket;  "carry 
that  to  Leila,  but  take  great  care,  my  good  fel- 
low, of  your  precious  burthen — take  care  of 
cousin  Selina." 

Dash  placed  the  basket  at  Leila's  feet ;  she 
opened  it,  and  her  cat  sprang  into  her  arms. 
The  meeting  between  the  real  Selina  and  Leila 
could  not  have  been  more  affectionate ;  she  was 
overjoyed  to  see  her  favourite  again.  Dash  did 
not  quite  enjoy  the  tenderness  she  lavished  on 
cousin  Selina,  (as  we  must  now  call  her,)  yet  in 
general  they  were  excellent  friends ;  indeed,  she 
took  strange  liberties  with  him — brushing  up 
against  him  with  her  side,  or  sneezing  in  his 
face  when  he  seemed  inclined  for  sleep,  and  fre- 
quently leaping  on  his  back  and  playing  with 
his  ears. 


LEILA.  87 

Mr.  Howard,  meanwhile,  having  unloaded 
Che  raft,  pushed  again  from  the  shore,  to  com- 
mence his  second  voyage ;  but  the  wind  was  no 
longer  favourable,  and  had  considerably  in- 
creased, and  the  sea  now  presented  an  unsettled 
and  somewhat  gloomy  aspect.  Nurse  called  loudly 
after  her  master,  to  entreat  his  return ;  but  Mr. 
Howard,  although  conscious  that  it  would  be 
more  prudent  to  do  so,  felt  most  unwilling  to 
resign  his  books,  which,  next  to  his  child,  were 
his  greatest  treasure ;  and  he  was  standing  up 
eagerly  examining  the  appearance  of  the  sky, 
when  a  sudden  gust  of  wind  had  nearly  pre- 
cipitated him  into  the  sea.  Leila  screamed,  and 
exclaimed,  "  O,  papa !  do  not  go ;  you  will  be 
blown  into  the  sea — you  will  be  drowned.  Dash, 
Dash !  come  back  !  come  back  I" 

Dash,  who  had  no  inward  struggles  of  a 
literary  nature  to  warp  his  judgment,  seemed  to 
consider  that  it  were  better  that  all  the  books  in 
the  kingdom  were  at  the  bottom  of  the  sea,  than 
that  his  master's  life  should  be  risked,  or  Miss 
Leila's  orders  disobeyed ;  and  turning  quickly 
round,  still  holding  fast  the  rope  which  was 
attached  to  the  raft,  he  pushed  boldly  for  the 
shore.  Mr.  Howard  yielded  without  further 
struggle  to  Dash's  superior  judgment  in  this 
matter ;  indeed,  he  was  thankful  that  the  point 
had  been  thus  settled  for  him:  and  Leila  re- 

4 


38  LEILA. 

ceived  the  sagacious  animal,  all  dripping  wet  as 
he  was,  in  her  arms. 

"  0  Miss  Leila,"  nurse  exclaimed  in  dismay, 
"your  clean  frock!  and  here,  too,  where  you 
have  so  few  to  change." 

But  Leila  was  quite  indifferent  as  to  the  wet 
frock,  so  grateful  was  she  to  Dash  for  bringing  her 
papa  back  to  her  again. 

"Now,"  observed  Mr.  Howard,  "we  must 
make  haste  to  remove  those  things  you  have 
unpacked  up  to  the  cavern,  for  I  suspect  that 
before  evening  we  shall  have  a  complete  change 
of  weather.  Let  us  tie  up  the  clothes  in  parcels, 
and  then  Dash  will  be  an  able  assistant,  for  he 
can  go  and  return  in  shorter  time  than  we  can." 
•  Dash  was  perfectly  accustomed  to  fetch  and 
carry,  and  had  long  been  considered  a  most  use- 
ful member  of  the  family :  if  any  thing  were 
missing,  you  had  only  to  show  him  a  similar 
article,  and  pronounce  the  word  "seek,"  and  he 
would  hunt  for  it  with  unwearied  diligence  all 
over  the  place.  With  Mr.  Howard  it  was  al- 
leged he  had  obtained  rather  undue  influence ; 
for  it  had  happened  more  than  once,  that  when 
the  good  old  nurse's  remonstrances  to  induce 
Mr.  Howard  to  leave  his  books,  and  take  neces- 
sary exercise,  had  failed,  Dash's  superior  elo- 
quence and  active  exertions  had  succeeded.  On 
those  occasions  he  would  hunt  about  the  room 


LEILA.  89 

for  his  gloves,  and  lay  them  before  him ;  then 
run  for  his  hat,  and  stand  wagging  his  tail,  and 
looking  up  in  his  master's  face,  till  Mr.  Howard 
was  forced  to  remember  that  the  walking  hour 
was  come,  and  to  shut  the  volume  before  him, 
however  interesting  it  might  be.  Dash  was  clearly 
of  opinion  that  exercise  was  absolutely  neces- 
sary, both  for  dog  and  man — and  he  had  been 
nearly  the  death  of  a  little  puppy  which  Mr. 
Howard  was  bringing  up  with  great  care,  by  in- 
ducing the  little  creature  to  accompany  him  in 
rambles  far  beyond  its  strength.  He  had  been 
in  the  habit  of  disappearing  every  morning  after 
breakfast  with  this  little  pup,  and  remaining 
mysteriously  absent  for  hours ;  and  Mr.  Howard 
finding  that  all  remonstrance  with  Dash  on  the 
subject  was  vain,  and  that  he  would  give  no 
explanation  of  his  conduct,  attached  a  chain 
about  the  puppy's  neck,  with  a  heavy  log  at  the 
end  of  it,  so  as  to  prevent  it  running  any  length 
of  way ;  but  what  was  his  astonishment,  when 
seated  in  the  verandah,  next  morning  after 
breakfast,  to  see  Dash,  at  the  accustomed  hour, 
stealing  round  the  house,  carrying  the  heavy  log 
in  his  mouth,  and  the  little  puppy  trotting  mer- 
rily by  his  side.  But  Dash  is  occupying  too 
much  of  our  attention ;  let  us  now  return  to  the 
other  members  of  our  party. 

Having  loaded  themselves  with  as  much  as 


40  LEILA. 

they  were  able  to  carry.  they  proceeded  toward* 
the  cavern.     Leila  carried  the  basket  with  the 

eat  —  Selrna.  nmch  against  her  inclination,  being 
obliged  to  lake  up  her  abode  in  it  again.  Xarse 
had  also  her  basket  of  live  stock  to  lake  charge 
oi  Mr.  Howard  having  presented  her  with  a 
m&^Tiiicent  cock  aad  four  beautiful  white  hens, 
which  he  had  brooght  from  the  ship,  as  a  most 
nadfia!  addition  to  their  other  stoines.  He  had 
'  also  carried  away  all  the  dead  poultry  he  fommd 
in  the  lazier,  so  that  for  thai  day,  at  least.,  they 
had  the  psvasNet  of  a  luxury  they  might  not 
soom  p&nake  of  ajgain  :  but.  even  daring  their 
walk  to  the  caverr.  Mr.  Howard  had  the  com- 
tonable  asssrA^oe  thai  the  ssHasd  wss  by  no 
mre&as  dedcieat  ia  the  naeaas  of  sopjaSying  iheir 
foture  wa^.i«  ;  he  had  o^6«rred,  al  a  distance 


their  kids  by  tiueir  side  ;  Leila  had  assured  him 
that  she  smeaia  abounded  with  ifish:  they  had 
a  great  many  cocoa-trees,  ami  liraea,  aad 
ala>  :  and  foom  massy  of  them  the  vines 
LEg  in  rich  laarariaace,  Clearing  mrsre 


«  they  pssssvi  alo^ng.  amd  fo>£3>!  tieai  delicaouis, 
s«i  Mr.  Howard  I'esisilved  that,  c-se  of  Hs  nrst 
shonald  be  to  gather  a  gp-aTmty  of 
a^d  siATag  uuesa  mp  in  the  san  to  'dry.     It 
wae  SMresaase  for  hka  that 


LEILA.  41 

pressed  upon  him  as  to  leave  little  time  for  the 
indulgence  of  melancholy  thoughts,  for  the 
doubtful  fate  of  those  with  whom  he  had  so 
lately  associated  hung  heavy  on  his  spirits. 
There  were  not,  however,  amongst  them  any  to 
whom  he  was  particularly  attached;  for  on 
reaching  Calcutta,  from  a  distant  station  far  up 
the  country,  Leila  had  been  seized  with  a 
dangerous  illness,  and  he  had  been  obliged  to 
secure  an  immediate  passage  in  a  merchant's  ship 
as  a  means  of  preserving  her  precious  life,  the 
physicians  having  prescribed  a  sea  voyage  as 
affording  the  best  hope  of  her  recovery.  There 
were  few  other  passengers,  and  not  many  of 
them  such  as  he  was  much  inclined  to  associate 
with;  but  still  they  were  his  fellow-men,  and 
he  felt  de'ep  anxiety  for  them. 

As  the  wind  had  again  moderated  in  some 
degree,  they  were  aftle,  in  the  course  of  the 
forenoon,  to  remove  a  great  part  of  the  things 
from  the  beach ;  but  as  exercise  had  rendered 
them  more  than  usually  hungry,  Mr.  Howard 
thought  it  advisable  to  defer  the  completion  of 
this  work  till  next  day,  and  to  give  nurse  what 
assistance  he  could  in  providing  her  the  means 
of  preparing  a  dinner  for  them.  There  was  still 
too  much  wind  to  allow  the  fire  to  burn  steadily 
^n  the  open  air ;  and  while  nurse  and  Leila  were 
husily  employed  in  collecting  firewood,  Mr. 

4* 


42  LEILA. 

Howard,  having  previously  found  the  necessary 
tools  in  the  carpenter's  box,  was  able  to  make  a 
very  tolerable  vent  for  the  smoke  in  the  outer 
cavern,  by  striking  out  a  hole  in  the  rock  above ; 
he  found  both  this  and  enlarging  the  entrance, 
which  he  then  commenced,  an  easier  task  than 
he  had  anticipated,  from  the  rock  proving  of  a 
sandy  substance,  and  easily  worked ;  but  before 
he  had  completed  his  labours,  he  was  called  to 
dinner  by  Leila,  who  had  been  indeed  a  busy 
little  woman,  and  who  was  now  most  impatient 
that  he  should  partake  of  the  produce  of  her 
work. 


LEILA.  43 


CHAPTEE  IV. 

"T)0  come  to  dinner,  papa,"  Leila  exclaimed ; 
"do  come  quick,  or  it  will  be  cold,  for 
nurse  says  there  are  no  silver  covers  in  the 
wilderness.  And  do  you  know  what  I  was' 
going  to  say,  papa  ?  I  was  going  to  say,  '  If  you 
please,  dinner  is  on  the  table,'  and  lo  and  be- 
hold there  is  no  table! — that  was  a  mistake 
indeed;  but  come  and  see,  papa,  if  you  think  I 
have  managed  well." 

Leila  had  spread  a  table-cloth  on  the  ground 
in  the  inner  cavern ;  the  useful  canteen  she  had 
placed  as  a  seat  for  her  papa,  and  her  own  seat 
was  composed  of  a  parcel  of  her  own  clothes. 
At  the  top  of  the  table,  or  rather  table-cloth, 
waa  a.  magnificent  plate  of  grapes  which  she  had 
gathered  herself,  and  dressed  up  with  green 
leaves  and  wild  flowers.  The  bottom  dish,/ if 
not  quite  so  elegant,  was  rather  more  substau 
tial :  nurse  had  contrived  to  stew  a  fowl  with 
rice,  in  a  manner  which  reflected  the  highest 
credit  on  her ;  and  never  was  a  dinner  partakeu 
of  with  more  grateful  hearts  or  better  appetite. 


44  LEILA. 

Mr.  Howard  oould  not,  however,  prevail  upon 
nurse  to  sit  down.  It  had  been  both  her  duty 
and  her  pleasure,  she  said,  to  wait  upon  him  for 
many  a  long  year,  and  please  Heaven,  she 
would  do  so  still ;  so  taking  the  water-bottle  in 
her  hand,  she  left  the  cavern,  and  returned  with 
water  clear  as  crystal,  into  which  she  squeezed 
a  couple  of  limes,  and  made  for  them  a  refresh- 
ing and  most  excellent  sherbet. 

Dash  and  Selina  were  not  quite  so  modest  as 
nurse ;  appearing  to  consider  themselves  as  mem- 
bers of  the  party,  {hey  took  their  seats  one  on 
each  side  of  Leila,  who  stood  opposite  her  papa; 
in  other  respects,  however,  they  were  perfectly 
well  bred,  asking  for  nothing  till  helped  by  her. 

Soon  after  they  had  dined,  Mr.  Howard  "re- 
turned to  his  work,  and  Leila  watched  the  prog- 
ress of  it  with  impatience,  for  she  had  set  her 
heart  on  having  a  long  talk  with  her  papa. 
Nothing  delighted  her  so  much  as  to  get  upon 
his  knee,  and  have  him  all  to  herself:  and  as  the 
evening  was  not  a  pleasant  one  for  walking  out, 
she  thought  there  could  not  be  a  more  favour- 
able  opportunity  for  this  indulgence. 

"  Now,  papa,"  she  said,  "  I  am  sure  you  have 
made  the  door  quite  big  enough;  youshould  meas- 
ure it  by  nurse ;  you  know  nurse  is  the  broadest, 
and  I  think  she  could  get  in  quite  well  now." 

"  Yes,  Leila,  but  I  am  the  tallest,  and  you  see 


LEILA.  45 

* 

I  still  must  stoop  a  good  deal ;  but  there  is  very 
little  more  to  be  done — there,  now,  that  will  do, 
I  think.  And  now  shall  I  make  a  little  door 
for  you,  to  get  in  and  out  also  ?" 

"  Papa,  you  are  laughing  at  me ;  can't  I  get 
in  and  out  at  the  same  door  ?  See  how  easily 
I  can  get  out,"  and  Leila  darted  out  into  the 
open  air,  and  in  her  turn  stood  laughing  at  her 
papa ;  the  wind  blowing  her  luxuriant  hair  all 
about  her  blooming  face,  and  threatening  every 
moment  to  lift  her  light  figure  from  the  ground. 

"  Come  in,  my  love,  come  in,  or  you  will  be 
blown  away ;  I  am  quite  convinced  now  the  door 
will  answer ;  and  I  am  convinced  also  that  my 
little  girl  is  in  this  respect  wiser  than  Sir  Isaao 
Newton.  Do  you  know,  Leila,  that  it  is  said  of 
that  great  man,  that  when  deeply  engaged  in  his 
studies,  being  much  disturbed  by  a  cat  which 
was  constantly  wishing  to  get  in  and  out  of  his 
room  to  its  kitten,,  he,  as  a  sure  means  of  pre- 
venting this  annoyance,  cut  a  hole  in  the  door 
for  the  cat,  and  a  little  hole  for  the  kitten." 
"  And  who  was  Sir  Isaac  Newton,  papa  ?" 
"  Sir  Isaac  Newton,  my  love,  was  one  of  the 
greatest  philosophers  and  mathematicians  that 
ever  appeared  in  the  world,  and  was  as"  remark- 
able for  his  modesty  as  for  the  superiority  of  hia 
genius.  While  yet  a  young  man,  not  more  than 
four-and-twenty,  he  made  many  of  his  most  im- 


46  LEILA. 

portant  discoveries,  and  he  was  the  first  person 
who  gave  us  a  true  account  of  the  laws  which 
regulate  the  motions  of  those  beautiful  planets 
which  I  have  pointed  out  to  you  so  often  from 
the  deck  of  the  ship.  When  you  are  older,  you 
shall  read  a  life  of  him.  I  hope  this  wind  will 
fall  before  to-morrow  morning,  and  allow  me  to 
get  to  the  ship  for  my  books.  We  shall  be  sadly 
ill  off  without  them  ;  how  shall  I  be  able  to  in- 
struct my  little  girl,  if  I  cannot  get  at  my  books  ? 
and  this  high  wind  makes  me  tremble  for  the 
ship.  I  almost  fear  that  before  to-morrow  morn- 
ing it  may  be  shattered  to  pieces." 

"  Well,  papa,  but  don't  look  sorry,  for  if  you 
cannot  get  any  books,  never  mind,  for  you  can 
instruct  me  out  of  your  own  head.  You  know 
so  many  things,  that  you  can  tell  me  every 
thing  I  wish  to  know,  and  I  will  be  very  atten- 
tive— I  won't  forget.  Now,  I  will  not  forget 
that  you  told  me  to-day  that  Sir  Isaac  Newton 
was  a  great  philosopher,  and  that  he  cut  a  large 
hole  in  his  door  for  the  cat,  and  a  little  hole  for 
the  kitten." 

"  Well,  my  love,  I  think,  in  this  respect,  you 
are  a  very  nice  little  philosopher,  and  I  shall  try 
to  follow  your  example,  Leila,  and  make  the 
best  of  things." 

"And  will  you  try  to  make  a  table,  papa, 
and  some  chairs  ?"  ' 


LEILA.  47 

"  So  that  is  your  idea  of  the  best  of  things, 
Leila.  Well,  we  shall  see  what  can  be  done 
in  this  way ;  but  there  are  other  things  still 
more  necessary,  which  must  be  attended  to 
first." 

"  Then,  papa,  let  me  sit  on  your  knee,  and 
you  will  tell  me  about  them.  Now  I  have  got 
into  my  particular  corner — how  nice  this  is ! — 
And  now  we  will  make  some  plans.  I  like  so 
much  when  I  sit  upon  your  knee,  and  you  tell 
me  plans,  and  chat  with  me  a  great  deal ;  and 
I  am  so  glad  that  here,  you  know,  nobody  will 
come  to  disturb  us." 

Mr.  Howard  sighed  deeply  as  he  gazed  upon 
his  child.  Leila  raised  herself  upon  her  knees, 
and  fondly  kissed  his  cheek ;  then  throwing  her 
arms  round  hfs  neck,  she  whispered,  "Papa, 
are  you  sorry  to  stay  here  with  me  ?" 

"  No,  my  love,  I  am  most  deeply  grateful  to 
have  you  with  me." 

"  Then  why  did  you  sigh,  papa?" 

"I  was  thinking  of  those  friends  I  had  hoped 
soon  to  meet  with,  Leila." 

"  Well,  papa,  you  know  I  cannot  be  a  big 
friend,  but  I  could  be  a  little  friend,  maybe. 
— Will  you  take  me  for  your  little  friend, 
papa  ?" 

"  Most  willingly,  my  love." 

"  O,  I  am  so  glad !     Now,  that  is  one  plan 


48  LEILA. 

\ve  have  made,  and  I  think  a  very  good  one ; 
and  now  we  will  make  some  more  plans." 

"  Yes,  Leila,  but  you  must  think  of  the  con- 
sequences of  the  plan  you  have  made ;  if  you 
are  to  be  my  friend,  you  must  do  all  you  can  to 
improve  yourself,  and  to  gain  information,  that 
you  may  be  able  to  converse  with  me;  you 
must  read  history  and  geography,  that  we  may 
talk  together  of  what  formerly  happened  in  the 
world,  and  that  you  may  know  the  places  where 
these  events  did  happen ;  you  must  attend  to 
your  music  lessons,  that  we  may  be  able  to  play 
and  sing  together ;  above  all,  you  must  endeav- 
our to  get  the  better  of  that  bad  habit  which 
makes  it  difficult  for  my  little  girl  to  learn  any 
thing  well ;  you  must  not  allow  your  eyes  to 
wander  all  over  the  room  while  I  am  explaining 
things  to  you,  or  be  thinking  of  your  cat,  as 
you  were  doing  the  other  day,  while  I  was  tell- 
ing you  about  William  the  Conqueror.  You 
know,  Leila,  I  am  frequently  obliged  to  make 
you  repeat  your  French  verbs  with  your  eyes4 
ehut,  and  your  hands  clasped  behind  your  back 
to  keep  -you  steady,  and  even  then  you  are  often 
still  fidgeting  and  standing  first  on  one  leg  and 
then  on  the  other.  What  would  you  have 
thought,  if  you  had  seen  my  friend  Mr.  Morley 
conversing  with  me  with  his  "eyes  shut,  and 
standing  on  one  leg?" 


LEILA.  49 

"  0,  papa,  I  should  have  laughed  very  much ; 
but  I  don't  think  he  could  have  stood  on  one 
leg — he  is  so  fat." 

"  Well,  Leila,  if  my  only  hope  of  your  steadi- 
ness consists  in  your  becoming  as  fat  as  Mr. 
Morley,  I  believe  I  must  be  more  moderate  in 
my  expectations,  and  not  wish  for  quite  so 
much." 

"  But,  papa,  I  will  try  to  be  steady  though  I 
am  not  fat,  and  I  will  do  all  I  can  to  be  your 
little  friend.  Do  you  know,  papa,  that  I  find 
it  much  easier  to  be  good  with  you  than  with 
nurse — yes,  I  do ;  I  like  nurse  very  much,  and 
she  is  very  kind  to  me  indeed,  but  then  every 
day  she  teases  me  with  those  long  frills  to  hem, 
and  makes  me  do  such  a  great  piece,  and  take 
such  little  stitches,  and  so  close  together,  that  I 
cannot  get  patience  for  it ;  I  like  to  take  large 
stitches,  that  I  may  be  soon  done,  and  then  she 
is  angry,  takes  it  all  out,  and  makes  me  do  it 
over  again." 

"Nurse  is  quite  right,  my  love.  Whatever 
you  do,  Leila,  you  should  try  to  do  well.  I 
am  sorry  you  do  not  like  needle-work,  for  it  is 
most  useful :  but  if  you  persevere,  you  will 
come  to  do  it  well,  and  then  you  will  like 
it;  meanwhile  it  is  a  good  exercise  for  your 
patience.  You  should  pray  to  God,  Leila, 
that  he  would  enable  you  to  get  over  that  injr 
5 


50  LEILA. 

patience  of  temper,  which  is  your  greatest 
fault." 

"  0  yes,  papa,  I  do  pray  very  often  for  the 
Holy  Spirit  to  make  me  good,  for  I  did  a  dread- 
ful tiling  one  day  when  I  forgot  to  pray.  It 
was  just  the  day  the  storm  began.  It  was  a 
little  windy  when  I  did  the  thing,  and  I  was 
corning  to  tell  you,  but  then  the  wind  blew  a 
great  deal  more,  and  I  was  frightened  and  for 
got;  and  now  I  should  like  to  tell  you,  but 
then  I  am  afraid,  papa,  you  will  not  love  me, 
or  have  me  for  your  little  friend,  when  you 
know." 

"  Yes,  my  child,  I  will  love  you  more  than 
ever,  if  you  have  been  sorry  for  your  fault,  and 
have  asked  God  to  forgive  you." 

"  0  yes,  papa,  I  have ;  I  have  prayed  a  great 
deal,  and  I  hope  God  has  forgiven  me,  for  you 
know  he  took  care  of  me  on  the  raft,  and  brought 
me  safe  into  this  delightful  cave;  and  now  I 
will  tell  you. — You  see  it  was  about  those  frills. 
Nurse  gave  me  a  great  piece  to  hem,  and  she 
put  in  a  pin,  and  said,  '  Now,  Miss  Leila,  you 
will  please  to  hem  up  to  that  pin,  and  take  very 
small  stitches,  and  close  together.'  Well,  it  was 
a  greater  piece  than  she  had  ever  given  me  be- 
fore, and  she  had  not  her  good-natured  face  on ; 
and  when  I  wished  to  go  on  deck  and  talk  with 
you,  she  said  I  must  finish  my  work  first.  I 


LEILA.  51 

did  take  little  stitches  at  first,  but  when  I  looked 
sind  looked  at  the  pin,  it  was-  never  growing  a 
bit  nearer;  so  then — I  am  coming  to  the  wicked 
part,  papa,  but  I  must  tell  you — so  then  I 
thought  I  would  just  take  out  the  pin  and  put  it 
nearer,  and  nurse  would  never  know.  If  I  had 
prayed  to  God  then,  papa,  he  would  have  strength- 
ened me,  but  I  did  not  pray;  I  snatched  it 
out  very  quick,  and  put  it  a  great  deal  nearer, 
and  I  did  not  care  for  any  thing  after  that  but 
took  as  big  stitches  as  ever  I  could,  and  when 
I  brought  the  work  to  nurse,  I  was  just  going 
to  say,  'I  have  hemmed  to  the  pin,  nurse,' 
when  something  came  in  my  throat,  and  was 
like  to  choke  me ;  so  I  laid  it  down,  and  was 
sorry  to  be  done,  instead  of  happy.-  Well,  then, 
nurse  looked  at  it,  and  she  said,  'What  is  this, 
Miss  Leila  ?  I  think  the  pin  has  been  removed ;' 
and  she  put  on  her  spectacles  to  look,  but  I 
jumped  up  and  pulled  them  off  her  nose,  and 
ran  away  with  them.  She  caught  me  at  the 
cabin-door,  and  brought  me  back,  and  said,  '  Miss 
Leila,  stand  before  me  instantly,  and  don't  move ;' 
and  she  put  on  her  spectacles,  and  took  the  pin 
and  put  it  into  the  holes  where  it  was  before, 
and  she  took  the  end .  of  the  thread,  and  drew 
out  all  my  hemming.  The  thread  gave  a  great 
crack,  and  it  put  me  in  such  a  passion,  papa, 
that  I  stamped  with  my  foot,  and  I  pulled  jthe 


52  LEILA. 

frill  out  of  nurse's  hands,  and  danced  upon 
it." 

"  0  Leila !  "  exclaimed  Mr.  Howard,  "  this  is 
a  sad,  sad  account  indeed." 

Leila  hid  her  face  upon  her  papa's  breast,  and 
bursting  into  tears  she  exclaimed,  "  0  papa,  you 
are  angry  with  me." 

"Compose  yourself,  my  love,  be  comforted; 
I  am  not  angry  with  you ;  no,  Leila,  I  feel  as- 
sured, from  the  sorrow  you  are  now  feeling,  that 
you  will  watch  over  yourself  more  than  ever  to 
get  the  better  of  this  fault,  and  that  you  will  daily 
pray  to  God  to  give  you  strength  to  do  so  ;  for 
you  see,  Leila,  into  what  sinfulness  this  impa- 
tience of  temper  has  led  you.  You  have  been 
accustomed  from  your  infancy  to  consider  God 
as  ever  present,  looking  upon  every  action,  and 
acquainted  with  every  thought;  you  have  been 
accustomed,  if  uncertain  how  to  act,  to  ask  your- 
self this  question,  '  What  would  God  wish  me 
to  do  ?'  You  know,  if  you  dare  not  ask  God 
this  question,  and  try  to  put  away  this  remem- 
brance from  you,  that  you  must  be  wishing  to 
do  what  is  wrong,  wishing  to  obey  the  wicked 
spirit,  rather  than  to  obey  God." 

"  0  no,  papa,  not  wishing  to  obey  the  wick- 
ed spirit,  but  sometimes  I  cannot  help  being 
bad." 

u  Yes,  Leila,  you  can.     We  have  all  evil  im- 


LEILA.  53 

pulses,  and  often  wish  to  do  what  is  wrong ;  but 
if,  at  such  moments,  we  pray  to  God  to  strengthen 
us  by  his  Holy  Spirit,  he  will  listen  to  our  prayer, 
he  will  lead  us  back  into  ,the  right  path,  he  will 
love  us,  and  look  upon  us  as  his  children.  And 
now,  my  child,  tell  me  everything  that  hap- 
pened ;  what  did  nurse  do  ?" 

"  She  looked  at  me  very  sorrowfully,  papa ; 
and  then  she  said^  '  Miss  Leila,  you  might  'per- 
haps have  deceived  me,  but  you  could  not  have 
been  happy,  for  you  could  not  have  deceived 
God,  and  until  you  are  sorry  for  your  fault, 
and  pray  to  him  to  forgive  you,  I  do  not  wish 
to  be  in  your  company;'  and  she  went  out  of 
the  cabin  and  shut  the  door." 

"And  what  did  you  do,  Leila?" 

"  I  cried  a  great  deal  at  first,  papa,  and  then 
I  remembered  that  verse  which  you  told  me  to 
think  of  when  I  did  any  thing  wrong,  and  I  said 
quite  low  to  myself,  '  I  will  arise  and  go  to  my 
Father,  and  will  say  unto  him,  I  have  sinned 
against  Heaven  and  before  thee,  and  am  no 
more  worthy  to  be  called  thy  son.'  And  I  knelt 
down,  papa,  and  prayed  to  God  to  forgive  me, 
and  to  give  me  a  better  heart,  and  to  take  the 
impatience  out  of  it ;  and  I  asked  him  to  make 
me  love  my  work,  and  never,  never  to  wish  to 
deceive  nurse  again ;  and  when  I  got  up,  papa, 
there  was  nurse  standing  behind  me;  she  had 

5* 


54  LEILA. 

come  into  the  cabin  quite  softly.  When  I  saw 
her  I  began  to  cry  again,  but  she  dried  my  eyes, 
and  said,  '  Miss  Leila,  I  see  you  have  been  ask- 
ing God  to  forgive  you,  and  that  you  have  re- 
pented of  your  fault ;  therefore  I  am  sure  he 
has  forgiven  you,  and  I  will  forgive  you  also ;' 
so  she  kissed  me,  and  I  felt  a  great  deal  happier ; 
but  I  wanted  to  go  on  deck  and  tell  you,  that  I 
might  be  quite  happy  again." 

"  And  why  did  you  not  tell  me  ?" 

"  Because,  papa,  nurse  said  the  wind  was 
blowing  very  hard  on  deck,  and  you  were  busy, 
and  wished  me  to  stay  below  ;  and  all  the  loose 
things  in  the  cabin  began  rolling  about,  which 
amused  me  very  much ;  all  the  water  dashed 
out  of  the  ewer  and  came  upon  my  frock,  and  the 
tumbler  jumped  out  of  the  washhand-stand  and 
rolled  on  the  floor,  and  I  ran  after  the  tumbler, 
and  nurse  ran  after  the  cups  and  saucers;  and 
there  was  such  a  nice  clatter,  and  then  nurse 
came  against  me  and  popped  me  down  in  the 
middle  of  the  floor,  which  made  me  laugh  more 
than  any  thing ;  but  that  was  the  last  of  the 
funny  things  which  happened,  for  the  wind  blew 
so  hard  that  nurse  was  frightened,  and  so  was  I ; 
and  after  that,  papa,  you  know,  always  when 
you  came  down  into  the  cabin,  you  gave  me 
books  to  read  to  interest  my  mind,  or  verses  of  the 
Bible  to  learn,  and  you  put  my  blue  sash  round 


LEILA.  65 

my  waist,  and  tied  me  with  it  to  the  table ;  but 
I  don't  like  to  think  of  that  time,  we  won't  talk 
about  it  any  more." 

"  No,  my  love,  there  is  no  occasion  that  we 
should  now  dwell  upon  the  danger  we  have  suf- 
fered, but  we  should  think  often,  and  with  the 
deepest  gratitude,  of  God's  goodness  in  having 
delivered  us  from  it." 

"  Yes,  papa,  I  will  thank  God,  and  I  am  very 
grateful  to  him,  for  he  has  made  the  verses  which 
comforted  me  so  much  in  the  cabin,  come  quite 
true.  Don't  you  remember,  papa,  in  the  psalm 
you  gave  me  to  learn,  it  is  said,  '  So  when  they 
cry  unto  the  Lord  in  their  trouble,  he  delivereth 
them,  out  of  their  distress,  for  he  maketh  the 
storm  to  cease,  so  that  the  waves  thereof  are 
still." 

"'Thus  are  they  glad  because  they  are  at 
rest,  and  so  he  bringeth  them  unto  the  haven 
where  they  would  be.' 

"  And  we  are  glad,  papa ;  and  don't  you  think 
He  has  brought  us  into  the  haven  where  we 
would  be  ?  I  am  sure  this  cave  is  a  very  good 
haven ;  I  like  it  much  better  than  the  ship ;  and 
will  you  tell  me  now,  papa,  some  more  plans  to 
makers  comfortable  ?" 

"  Not  now,  my  love,  for  it  is  getting  late,  and 
I  am  anxious  you  should  go  soon  to  bed,  as  we 
must  breakfast  early  to-morrow,  that  I  may  get 


56  LEILA. 

off  to  the  ship  as  soon  as  possible.  So  go  now 
and  assist  nurse  in  preparing  a  bed  for  me  in  the 
outer  cavern  ;  let  her  take  one  of  the  mattresses 
I  brought  from  the  ship  to-day,  and  then  return, 
and  I  will  read  the  Bible  to  you  as  usual,  and 
hear  you  say  your  prayers  before  you  go  V> 
bed." 


LEILA.  57 


CHAPTER  Y. 

\. 

"JJEXT  morning  the  wind  had  greatly  fallen, 
although  the  weather  seemed  still  somewhat 
unsettled ;  but  as  Mr.  Howard  could  see  from 
the  window  in  the  inner  cavern  that  the  ship 
still  lay  upon  the  rock,  he  repaired  with  Leila 
and  nurse  to  the  beach  as  soon  as  breakfast  was 
over,  and  leaving  them  to  unpack  the  rest  of  the 
articles  in  the  chests,  he  proceeded  to  the  ship  J 
but,  alas  I  on  reaching  it,  he  found  the  cabins 
were  so  much  under  water  that  nothing  could 
be  removed;  and  as  the  wind  seemed  again 
to  be  rising  every  moment  more  and  more,  he 
saw,  with  feelings  of  much  disappointment, 
that  he  must  give  up  all  idea  of  saving  any 
thing  further  from  the  wreck,  and  that  not  a 
moment  must  be  lost  in  endeavouring  to  regain 
the  shore.  Even  with  the  assistance  of  the 
faithful  Dash,  he  found  this  a  matter  of  such 
difficulty,  that  all  sense  of  his  recent  disap- 
pointment was  lost  in  gratitude  to  Heaven, 
when  he  was  once  more  permitted  in  safety  to 
embrace  his  child. 


Eki  .          LEILA. 

"  \  w,  .eila,"  he  said,  "  again  has  a  mercifuJ 
God  delivered  me  from,  imminent  danger.  He 
has  preserved  my  life,  and  he  has  in  you  pre- 
served also  my  greatest  treasure.  Let  me  no 
longer  dwell  with  regret  on  what  it  seems  his 
good  pleasure  to  withhold.  I  shall  make  no 
further  effort  to  possess  myself  of  my  books ; 
you  must  now  trust  to  papa's  memory  for  your 
knowledge  of  history  and  geography,  and  that 
general  information  which  it  is  desirable  you 
should  acquire ;  but  the  book  of  life  has  been 
preserved  to  us,  Leila,  and  what  is  all  human 
knowledge,  compared  with  what  we  can  learn 
there  ?  Where  shall  we  meet  with  such  poetry 
as  in  the  Psalms  of  David,  or  such  eloquence 
as  flowed  from  the  unlettered  fishermen  of  Gal- 
ilee ?  And  where  shall  we  find  a  model  of 
sinless  purity,  yet  of  lowly  meekness  and  com- 
plete submission  to  a  Father's  will,  but  in  pur 
blessed  Saviour  Jesus  Christ?  It  now  seems 
to  me  that  in  the  Bible,  being  the  only  book 
preserved  to  us,  God  himself  is  saying,  '  This 
is  sufficient  for  you — here  you  have  the  words 
of  eternal  life ;  let  them  be  simply  received 
and  earnestly  prayed  over,  and  more  and  more 
light  will  be  given  to  cheer  and  guide  you  on 
your  way.'  Yes,  my  child,  each  promise  of 
the  word  of  God  will  be  found  a  staff  to  leais 
upon,  able  to  bear  the  whole  weight  of  sin,  of 


L  K  i  r,  A  .  59 

sorrow,  and  of  trial.  In  our  Bibles  we  have  a 
rich  treasure-house,  furnished  with  every  source 
of  delight,  every  ground  of  present  peace  and 
future  joy." 

While  Mr.  Howard  was  talking  in  this  way 
to  Leila,  nurse  had  removed  to  a  little  distance, 
and  appeared  intently  examining  something  on 
the  sand,  while  Dash's  low,  short  bark  seemed 
also  to  be  inviting  Mr.  Howard  to  follow.  On 
advancing  to  the  spot,  he  found  that  the  recent 
storm  had  thrown  up  a  large  turtle  into  a  cleft 
of  the  rock,  which  Dash  had  discovered,  and 
now  stood  sentry  over,  wagging  his  tail,  and  as 
if  enjoying  in  anticipation  the  many  good  din- 
ners which  nurse  was  at  that  moment  arranging 
in  her  fertile  brain. 

"  Where  shall  we  get  a  fish-kettle?"  she  was 
exclaiming  to  herself  as  Mr.  Howard  approached. 
"  0  to  think  that  such  a  grand  creature  should 
be  lost  "for  want  of  proper  conveniences!  it 
is  a  heavy  trial.  Well,  sir,"  she  continued, 
as  M>.  Howard  stooped  to  examine  the  turtle, 
"  has  not  Dash,  poor  fellow !  provided  well  for 
your  dinner  for  some  days  to  come  ?  and  I  dare 
say  I  shall  be  able  to  manage  a  kind  of  turtle 
soup  not  just  so  badly  either." 

"I  have  no  doubt  of  it,"  Mr.  Howard  an- 
swered ;  "  and  in  this  unlooked-for  blessing  we 
have  another  instance  of  God's  goodness  to  ug, 


60  LEILA. 

My  mind  feels  more  at  res^now  that  I  have 
given  up  all  hope  of  saving  more  from  the 
wreck;  so  come,  let  us  exert  ourselves  to  se- 
cure what  has  been  so  unexpectedly  given." 

It  was  some  hours  of  hard  labour  before  Mr. 
Howard,  with  the  assistance  of  his  companions, 
had  succeeded  in  removing  every  thing  to  the 
cave;  for  the  wind  rising  in  sudden  gusts  at 
times  completely  obstructed  their  progress  in 
their  undertaking.  By  taking  the  raft  to  pieces, 
he  was  able  by  degrees  to  remove  it  also  to 
the  cave;  and  while  nurse  and  Leila  busied 
themselves  in  the  domestic  arrangements  for 
dinner,  Mr.  Howard,  with  the  materials  which 
it  afforded  him,  was  able  to  put  together  a  sort 
of  temporary  table,  which  gave  an  air  of  infi- 
nitely more  comfort  to  the  inner  apartment ;  he 
also  put  up  a  bench  by  the  side  of  the  kitchen 
fire,  for  nurse's  accommodation ;  and  the  chests 
being  deposited  in  the  inner  cave,  in  front  of 
the  table,  served  at  the  same  time  as  seats  and 
as  store  closets  for  their  provisions. 

Leila  was  much  delighted  with  these  arrange- 
ments, and  particularly  interested  in  the  work 
which  Mr.  Howard  commenced  as  soon  as  dinner 
was  over.  Before  the  evening  closed,  her  papa 
had  partly  succeeded  in  making  a  shelf  in  the 
rock,  where  her  wardrobe  was  to  be  arranged ; 
and  to  complete  this,  and  put  up  pins  of  wood, 


LEILA.  61 

where  different  articles  could  be  hung  up,  was 
to  be  the  work  of  a  new  day. 

So  soundly  did  Leila  sleep  after  her  labours, 
that  she  heard  not  the  storm,  which  now  raged 
without  with  such  fury,  that  several  of  the  tre.e.s 
which  grew  near  their  place  of  shelter  were  torn 
up  by  the  roots.  Mr.  Howard  lay  awake  listen- 
ing to  the  roaring  of  the  wind,  and  to  the  crash 
of  the  falling  trees  ;  and  as  soon  as  the  morning 
dawned,  he  stole  gently  into  Leila's  apartment, 
wishing  to  look  out  upon  the  sea,  which  could 
only  be  seen  from  the  inner  cave.  He  found 
that  Dash  wasxwatching  by  Leila's  side,  and  her 
cat  lay  purring  at  her  feet ;  but  no  outward 
storm  had  disturbed  her  peaceful  slumbers — she 
lay  like  a  summer  rose,  in  dreamless  sleep.  He 
looked  at  her  in  silent  thankfulness,  then,  ap- 
proaching the  window,  gazed  earnestly  on  the 
sea.  The  fury  of  the  storm  had  now  abated, 
and  as  the  light  of  morning  increased,  he  be- 
came aware  that  the  ship  was  no  longer  visible ; 
it  must  have  been  sunk  or  driven  on  the  rocks. 
That  this  last  had  been  the  case  was  soon  ap- 
parent, for  on  going  down  to  the  beach  next 
morning,  Mr.  Howard  found  it  strewed  with 
many  fragments  of  the  wreck  ;  several  barrels 
also,  some  containing  gunpowder,  and  others 
meat  and  bread,  were  cast  on  shore,  but  so 
much  injured  by  the  sea  water  as  to  be  of  little 
6 


62  LEILA. 

<ase;  the  bread,  however,  after  being  well 
steeped  in  fresh  water,  was  found  very  service- 
able in  feeding  the  poultry ;  and  it  was  pleasing 
to  see  the  white  hens  flocking  round  Leila  in 
£he  morning,  eagerly  picking  up  the  food  she 
had  prepared  for  them  at  the  entrance  of  the 
cave,  and  at  early  dawn  to  hear  the  gallant 
cock  crowing  quite  as  cheerfully  as  if  he  had 
not  been  on  a  desert  island. 

Several  days  had  now  passed  away,  and  as 
the  weather  had  been  unfavourable  for  visiting 
the  interior  of  the  island,  they  had  occupied 
themselves  in  securing  all  the  fragments  of  the 
wreck,  and  in  making  every  thing  within  the 
cave  wear  such  an  air  of  comfort,  that  the  first 
Sabbath  morning  found  them  not  only  with 
hearts  deeply  grateful  for  the  blessings  by 
which  they  were  surrounded,  but  with  a  degree 
of  cheerfulness  of  spirit  which  it  astonished  Mr. 
Howard  he  should  himself  so  fully  partake  of. 

In  arranging  Leila's  clothes,  a  morocco  case 
was  found,  containing  a  Bible  and  Prayer-book, 
which  her  papa  had  given  her  on  her  eighth 
birth-day ;  and  in  the  open  air,  under  the  shade 
of  a  beautiful  spreading  tree,  he  read  aloud  the 
service  to  his  little  audience.  Never  had  his 
heart  been  touched  with  deeper  devotion,  and 
the  whole  scene  was  in  unison  with  his  feelinga 
Removed  from  the  world  and  its  busy  cares, 


LEILA.  65 

they  formed  a  little  group  kneeling  at  the  foot- 
stool of  their  Father's  throne,  amid  the  loveliest 
scenes  of  his  creation  ;  the  deepest  solitude  was 
around,  the  most  profound  stillness  reigned,  no 
cloud  was  in  the  sky,  no  bird  in  the  air;  but 
the  glad  sunbeams  glittered  on  the  jewelled 
earth,  and  innumerable  flowers,  decked  in  living 
lustre,  filled  the  atmosphere  with  fragrance. 
They  arose  from  their  knees  with  hearts  deeply 
touched  with  that  holy  peace  which  the  world 
cannot  give,  for  faithful  is  He  that  hath  promised 
that,  for  his  children,  "  the  wilderness  and  the 
solitary  place  shall  be  glad  for  them,  and  the 
desert  shall  rejoice  and  blossom  as  the  rose." 

As  soon  as  the  service  was  over,  Leila  re- 
minded her  papa  of  his  intention  of  taking  a 
long  walk  with  her  into  the  interior  of  the 
island;  and  the  little  troop,  consisting  of  Mr. 
Howard,  Leila,  nurse,  Dash,  and  Selina,  accord- 
ingly set  out  to  view  the  property  they  had  so 
unexpectedly  become  possessed  of.  Their  pro- 
gress was  slow,  so  many  were  the  objects  of 
admiration  they  met  with  on  their  way.  Turn- 
ing in  the  opposite  direction  from  that  which 
led  to  the  beach,  they  found  themselves,  when 
but  a  Very  short  distance  from  the  cave,  under 
the  shade  of  a  banyan-tree,  whose  innumerable 
slender  branches,  bending  down  and  taking 
root  again,  formed  pillars,  as  it  were,  to  this 


64  LEILA. 

temple  of  nature's  workmanship.  Leila  was 
enchanted  with  the  beauty  of  this  summer  bower, 
and  darting  forward,  and  clapping  her  hands 
with  joy,  there  flew  out  from  amidst  its  green 
canopy  a  variety  of  birds — turtle-doves,  wood- 
peckers, and  beautiful  green  and  scarlet  parrots, 
such  as  Leila  had  never  seen  before.  On  she 
ran  through  its  green  alleys,  exclaiming  with 
fresh  delight'at  every  step,  till  emerging  again 
at  the  opposite  side,  she  found  herself  on  the 
margin  of  the  little  rivulet  which  has  been 
already  mentioned ;  here  her  further  progress 
being  arrested,  she  was  joined  by  the  others. 

"0  papa!"  she  exclaimed,  "  surely  the  little 
fairy  elves  which  nurse  tells  me  about  have 
built  this  bower,  it  is  so  beautiful.  And  what 
are  those  lovely  scarlet  balls,  which  are  hanging 
down  amongst  the  green  leaves  ?" 

"  They  are  Indian  figs,  my  love ;  and  those 
birds  and  beautiful  parrots  you  have  scared  away 
were  probably  feeding  upon  them." 

"  I  think,  papa,  the  birds  here  have  a  very 
merry  time ;  they  have  such  a  pretty  house, 
and  such  nice  dinners,  I  should  like  to  stay  here 
always." 

"  What,  Leila !  and  forsake  the  friendly  cave 
which  sheltered  you  so  well  during  the  storm  ?" 

"  I  was  forgetting,  papa,  I  think.  I  would 
not  forsake  the  cave,  that  would  not  be  kind ; 


LEILA.  65' 

I  like  my  room  there  very  much,  I  always  liked 
it,  and  now  I  like  it  better  than  ever,  since  my 
clothes  were  put  so  neatly  on  the  shelves,  and 
my  work-box  beside  them ;  and  my  shoes  are 
put  in  a  corner  all  in  rows,  and  my  dressing- 
gown  and  my  towel  hung  on  pins, — and  my 
bonnet.  But,  papa,  only  look  at  my  bonnet ; 
nurse  says  it  is  good  for  very  little  since  the 
waves  came  dashing  over  it.  What  am  I  to 
do  for  another  bonnet?" 

"Why,  Leila,  I  think  we  must  contrive  to 
make  you  a  bonnet  of  the  palm-leaves ;  I  have 
heard  of  bonnets  being  manufactured  in  this 
way." 

"  That  will  be  delightful,  papa ;  I  am  sure  I 
shall  like  it  much  better  than  my  English  bon- 
net !  What  good  contrivances  you  have !  Will 
you  tell  me  some  more  plans  ?  But  what  were 
we  speaking  about  before  the  bonnet  ?  Here  we 
have  so  many  things  to  speak  about,  papa,  that 
I  am  brimming  full  of  them.  We  have  a  great 
many  more  things  to  speak  about  in  the  island 
than  in  the  ship.  0 !  I  remember,  now,  I  waa 
going  to  say  that  it  would  be  a  good  plan  to 
keep  the  cave  for  our  house  just  as  it  is  now, 
and  to  make  this  a  green  parlour  to  teach  me 
my  lessons  in." 

"  A  very  good  plan,  my  love ;  only  I  am 
afraid  you  would  see  too  many  objects  around 


66  LEILA. 

to  distract  your  attention.  You  would  be  peep- 
ing out  between  the  branches,  watching  the 
goats  with  their  little  kids  skipping  amongst  the 
rocks,  as  I  have  been  doing  at  this  moment. 
Hold !  what  is  that  I  got  a  glimpse  of  just  now  ? 
I  am  sure  I  saw  a  monkey.in  that  tall  cocoa-nut 
tree.  0  Leila !  if  monkeys  are  to  be  seen  from 
your  school-room  windows,  I  am  afraid  your 
green  parlour  would  not  long  contain  you.  You 
would  be  off  from  my  side  like  an  arrow  from 
a  bow." 

"  But,  papa,  could  you  not  twine  the  branches 
thick  together  to  keep  me  in  ?  that  would  be  a 
good  contrivance,  papa — eh?" 

"  A  very  good  contrivance,  my  love — the 
very  same  idea  had  struck  me.  I  am  sure  that, 
by  weaving  in  additional  branches,  which  we 
can  cut  off  from  the  other  trees,  and  making  use 
also  of  those  tall  reeds  which  I  see  growing  at 
a  little  distance,  we  shall  be  able  to  form  a  wall 
strong  enough  not  only  to  keep  you  in,  Leila, 
when  a  monkey  is  in  view,  but  to  make  this 
green  temple  a  very  pleasant  habitation,  for  part 
of  the  day  at  least." 

"  And  do  you  think  I  could  do  a  little  good  ? 
— Could  I  help  you,  papa  ?" 

"Yes,  my  love,  I  dare  say  you  could;  I 
think  you  will  be  able  to  manage  weaving  in 
the  tender  branches  and  the  reeds,  that  is  to 


LEILA.  67 

gay,  as  long  as  the  wall  is  not  above  you* 
height." 

"And  then,  you  know,  I  could  stand  up  on 
the  canteen,  papa,  to  make  me  tall.  0  it  will 
He  so  delightful !  I  hope  you  will  begin  to-mor- 
row. I  long  to  be  at  work.  I  will  get  up 
early ;  whenever  the  sun  comes  in  at  my  win- 
dow, and  the  cock  crows,  I  will  jump  up." 

"You  will  do  quite  right,  my  love  ;  we  must 
all  be  up  to-morrow  morning  by  the  crowing  of 
the  cock;  but  we  cannot  to-morrow,  or  even 
for  some  days  to  come,  -begin  the  wall.  No, 
Leila,  here  there  is  so  much  to  be  done,  that  we 
must  arrange  our  work,  and  begin  with  wha,t  is 
most  necessary.  We  have  already  made  the 
cave  tolerably  comfortable ;  we  must  now  con- 
sider how  we  can  add  to  our  store  of  provisions. 
It  seems  to  me  as  if  a  great  deal  of  rain  had 
fallen  here  lately ;  and  while  the  ground  is  still 
moist,  I  wish  to  sow  the  Indian  corn  which  I 
was  taking  home  with,  me  to  England,  and  also 
to  plant  a  small  plantation  of  rice  on  the  banks 
of  this  rivulet.  The  stream  will  form  a  good  de- 
fence on  one  side,  and  also  will  give  us  the  means 
of  watering  our  grounds;  but  I  must  put  in 
stakes,  and  then  you  can  assist  me  in  weaving  in 
branches,  so  as  to  form  a  sort  of  fence  on  the 
other  side ;  without  this,  the  goats  would  quickly 
devour  the  grain  ;  not  to  speak  of  your  white 


68  LEILA. 

hens,  Leila,  which,  in  spite  of  their  wings  being 
cut,  woulcj  soon  make  their  way  down  to  our 
corn  and  rice-fields." 

"  O  no,  papa,  I  don't  think  they  would,  for 
they  are  not  mischievous  hens,  and  they  'know 
me  so  well  now — one  carne  upon  my  shoulder 
to-day." 

"And  so  you  think  that  they  are  such  honest, 
affectionate  hens  that  they  would  prefer  sitting 
on  your  shoulder,  rather  than  stealing  a  good 
dinner  of  rice?  I  am  not  sure,  Leila,  that  we 
could  trust  quite  so  much  to  their  principles — a 
good  dinner  is  a  strong  temptation  to  a  hungry 
hen." 

"But,  papa,  they  are  not  hungry  hens,  for 
every  time  I  come  out  of  the  cave  they  come 
flocking  about  me,  and  I  always  give  them 
something.  I  take  it  out  of  the  bag  for  the 
poultry,  or  out  of  the  bread-barrel.  I  never 
take  it  out  of.  the  store-chest,  for  nurse  says  I 
must  not.  Nurse,  may  I  tell  papa  the  secret 
about  the  chickens  ?" 

'Certainly,  Miss  Leila,  you  may  tell  your 
papa  any  thing.  You  know  it  is  only  that  you 
wished  to  surprise  him." 

"  Yes,  papa,  I  wanted  to  surprise  you  with 
;he  chickens ;  but  then  it  is  such  a  long  time 
to  wait,  I  cannot  keep  the  secret  so  long.  You 
know,  nurse  and  I  have  made  nests  of  the  dry 


LEILA.  69 

grass  in  the  rock  for  the  hens,  and  we  picked 
up  round  white  stones  on  the  beach,  and  put 
one  into  each  nest,  and  the  hens  think  that  they 
are  eggs,  and  they  go  into  the  nests  and  put 
another  egg  beside  them;  then  we  go  in  the 
morning  and  take  away  the  eggs,  but  we  always 
leave  the  white  stone.  Sometimes  we  get  four 
eggs,  and  sometimes  we  get  only  three,  for  one 
of  the  hens  is  very  stupid.  Now,  papa,  you  see 
I  wanted  to  give  you  all  the  eggs,  but  nurse 
said  there  could  be  no  chickens;  and  that  you 
would  like  chickens  better;  so  when  I  bring 
you  the  egg  for  your  breakfast,  she  puts  the 
others  into  a  safe  place  till  there  are  thirteen. 
To-morrow  there  will  be  thirteen,  if  that  hen  is 
not  stupid,  and  then,  papa,  we  are  to  put  one  of 
the  hens  to  sit  upon  them,  and  in  three  weeks 
the  chickens  are  to  come  out.  Will  it  not  be 
delightful,  papa,  to  see  the  little  chickens  ?" 

"  Yes,  my  love,  and  it  will  be  a  good  exer- 
cise of  your  patience,  for  three  weeks  is  a  long 
time  for  you  to  \yait ;  but  meanwhile  you  w'ill 
have  such  constant  employment,  that  it  will 
make  the  time  pass  much  more  quickly.  .Come 
now,  let  us  walk  further  up  the  stream;  if  I 
am  not  mistaken,  the  source  of  it  is  at  no  great 
distance ;  I  think  it  rises  probably  where  these 
reeds  are  growing." 

Mr.    Howard    was    right :    the    source    was 


70  LEILA. 

amongst  the  reeds,  and  they  had  not  walked  far 
before  they  came  upon'a  beautifully  clear  foun- 
tain, from  which  the  rivulet  immediately  flowed. 
A  noble-spreading  tree,  of  a  species  unknown 
to  Mr.  Howard,  shaded  the  spot ;  a  vine  clung 
to  its  branches,  from  which  the  grapes  were 
hanging  in  rich  clusters  almost  into  the  water, 
and  the  sloping  banks  of  this  fountain  were 
of  emerald  green.  They  seated  themselves 
on  the  banks,  they  plucked  and  ate  of  the 
delicious  grapes,  and  dipped  their  hands  into 
the  cool  clear  water.  Mr.  Howard's  mind 
was  filled  with  silent  admiration  of  the  beau- 
ties around  him,  and  Leila  was  in  ecstasies  of 
pleasure. 

"  0,  papa  I"  she  exclaimed,  "  surely  we  never 
saw  any  place  before  so  lovely  as  this  ;  it  makes 
me  feel  so  glad,  it  makes  me  think  of  the  psalm, 
papa.  You  know  the  psalm  says,  'The  Lord  is 
my  shepherd,  therefore  can  I  lack  nothing. 
And  are  not  these  '  green  pastures,'  papa,  and 
'  the  waters  of  comfort?'  I  think  God  is  very 
good,  for  he  has  led  us,  papa.  You  know  it  is 
God  that  has  brought  us  here." 

"  Yes,  my  child,  that  beautiful  psalm  is  very 
applicable  at  this  moment  to  our  situation,  for 
we,  Leila,  have  been  walking  '  through  the  val- 
ley of  the  shadow  of  death ;'  but  God  has  been 
with  us,  '  his  rod  and  his  staff  have  comforted 


LEILA.  71 

us.'  Kepeat  the  last  verse  of  this  psalm,  my 
child."  " 

"  'But  thy  loving-kindness  and  mercy  shall 
follow  me  all  the  days  of  my  life ;  and  I 
will  dwell  in  the  house  of  the  Lord  for 
ever!'" 

"  That  is  my  daily  prayer  for  you,  my  child. 

0  may  you  dwell,  Leila,  in  the  house  of  the 
Lord  for  ever  1" 

"  But,  papa,  you  said  when  I  went  to  Eng- 
land, I  should  visit  God's  house,  but  now,  you 
know,  we  are  not  going  to  England." 

"  My  dear  Leila,  God  does  not  dwell  alone  in 
temples  made  with  hands,  but  in  the  hearts  of 
all  his  faithful  children.  If  you  endeavour  in 
all  things  to  do  his  will,  if  you  earnestly  pray 
for  strength  to  enable  you  to  do  so,  He  will  put 
his  Holy  Spirit  into  your  heart,  and  make  his 
temple  there.  He  is  every  where,  and  in  all 
places;  He  will  dwell  in  you,  and  you 'in  Him; 
for  'Who  is  like  unto  the  Lord  our  God,  that 
hath  his  dwelling  so  high,  and  yet  humbleth 
Himself  to  behold  the  things  that  are  in  heaven 
and  earth?'  " 

"Papa,  it  makes  me  frightened  sometimes 
when  I  think  how  great  God  is,  for  you  know 

1  am  not  good  :  I  often  do  a  great  many  wrong 
things  ;  I  always  pray  not  to  do  wrong  things ; 
and  many  times  in  the  day  I  ask  God  to  make 


72  LEILA. 

me  good.  But  then  I  forget,  and  the  badness 
comes  upon  me  before  I  remember,  and  that 
makes  me  sorry.  Do  you  think  God  will  go 
on  forgiving  me,  if  I  am  sorry?" 

"  Yes,  my  child,  God  looks  upon  your  sorrow 
with  a  pitying  eye :  '  For  like  as  a  father  pitieth 
his  own  children,  even  so  is  the  Lord  merciful 
unto  them  that  fear  him.'  '  For  he  knoweth 
whereof  ^we  are  made,  he  remembereth  that  we 
are  but  dust.' " 

"  But  do  you  think,  papa,  if  I  were  to  live 
•rery  long,  I  should  grow  perfect  ?  If  I  were  to 
ave  as  long  as  Methuselah,  nine  hundred  and 
.J.ixty-nine  years,  papa,  do  you  think  I  should  be 
perfect?" 

"  No,  Leila ;  even  in  nine  hundred  and  sixty- 
nine  years  you  would  not  be  perfect.  No  human 
being  is  perfect  in  the  sight  of  God,  for  we  have 
all  sinful  natures ;  our  sins  are  many,  too  many 
for  us  to  bear.  But  who  was  it  that  took  the 
burden  of  those  sins  upon  himself,  and  laid  down 
his  life,  that  we  might  be  forgiven  ?" 

"  Our  Saviour,  Jesus  Christ,  papa." 

"  Yes,  Leila ;  it  is  through  him  that  we  are 
pardoned ;  it  is  only  by  believing  and  trusting 
in  him  that  you  can  be  saved,  and  enter  into 
everlasting  life.  Do  .you  remember  that  beauti- 
ful verse  in  Isaiah  ?  '  But  he  was  wounded  for 
our  transgressions;  he  was  bruised  for  our  ini 


L  E  I  I.  A .  73 

quities ;  the  chastisement  of  our  peace  was  upon 
him,  and  with  his  stripes  we  are  healed.'  " 

"  Yes,  papa,  I  remember  it  quite  well,  for  you 
explained  it  to  me,  and  the  other  verses  too,  and 
now  I  read  the  chapter  sometimes  to  myself.  I 
always  like  the  chapters  best  when  you  have 
explained  them  to  me.  I  am  so  glad  the  Bibles 
were  not  left  in  the  ship,  for  then  you  could  not 
have  gone  on  explaining.  But  what  are  you 
looking  at  so  earnestly,  papa  ?" 

"  I  am  looking  at  those  trees  on  the  opposite 
side,  at  the  foot  of  the  hill.  I  think  I  see  the 
casava  or  bread-tree  amongst  them — a  most  valu- 
able discovery  for  us,  if  it  be  so.  Come,  let  us 
cross  the  stream,  that  I  may  ascertain  this  point." 

Mr.  Howard  lifted  Leila  across,  and  then 
assisted  nurse.  Dash  required  no  one's  aid ;  but 
Selina,  poor  Selina,  had  an  antipathy  to  water : 
she  had  no  admiration  for  a  fountain,  however 
clear,  and  particularly  disliked  a  running  stream. 
There  she.  stood  trembling  and  looking  most 
wo-begone,  and  her  melancholy  mew  would  have 
melted  a  heart  of  stone. 

"  Why,  Dash,  my  good  fellow  I"  exclaimed. 
Mr.  Howard,  "  this  will  never  do — this  is  shame- 
ful what  of  gallantry  on  your  part— -fetch,  Dash, 
fetch,"  and  he  pointed  to  where  poor  pussy 
stood,  with  one  paw  in  the  water,  shaking  as  if 
in  an  ague  fit. 
7 


74  LEILA. 

Dash  sprang  across.  His  first  intention  evi- 
dently was  to  have  seized  Selina  by  the  neck, 
for  a  jealous  pang  did  sometimes  assail  him ; 
but  he  thought  better  of  it,  and  stooping  down, 
she  jumped  upon  his  back,  and  the  next  moment 
was  deposited  in  safety  at  the  feet  of  her  little 
mistress.  The  party  proceeded  towards  the 
grove  of  trees,  amongst  which  Mr.  Howard  was 
only  able  to  discover  a  single  casava  tree  ;  but 
still  this  was  a  pleasant  discovery,  as  it  gave  him 
hopes  that  there  might  be  more  in  other  parts 
of  the  island. 

Leila  looked  eagerly  up  amongst  the  branches, 
and  then  turning  to  her  papa  in  evident  disap- 
pointment, she  exclaimed,  "  But,  papa,  I  see 
nothing  like  bread." 

"  And  did  my  dear  little  girl  expect  to  find 
loaves  and  hot  rolls  hanging  from  the  branches? 
It  was  a  hungry  idea,  Leila :  and  I  think  we 
must  delay  climbing  the  hill  till  another  day, 
and  bend  our  steps  homeward,  and  prepare  foi 
dinner.  Do  you  see  those  little  apples,  my  love, 
amongst  the  branches  of  the  casava  tree  ?  It  is 
of  those  the  Indians  make  a  kind  of  bread  when 
they  are  ripe.  We  shall  gather  them,  and  keep 
them  in  sand,  and  also  make  use  of  them  in  this 
way:  meanwhile,  here  are  other  things  which 
will  be  very  valuable  to  us ;"  and  Mr.  Howard,. 
as  he  spoke,  picked  up  several  large  cocoa-nuts 


LEILA.  7£ 

from  the  ground,  which  the  wind  had  thrown 
down,  and  giving  several  of  them  to  nurse  to 
carry,  they  returned  home.  After  dinner,  he 
read  aloud  the  Evening  Service  and  a  portion 
of  the  Bible,  and  having  heard  Leila  repeat  her 
Catechism  and  hymns,  she  retired  to  bed  at  an 
early  hour,  anxious  for  the  business  of  the 
morrow. 


76  LEILA 


CHAPTER  YL 


morning  they  were  all  up  by  sunrise, 
and  as  soon  as  prayers  were  over,  Leila, 
impatient  of  delay,  darted  into  the  open  air,  and 
scampering  about  like  a  mad  thing,  seemed  as 
if  intoxicated  with  the  pure  elastic  feeling  of 
early  day;  but  Mr.  Howard,  just  as  he  was 
about  to  join  her,  was  alarmed  by  an  unusual 
noise  among  the  poultry  ;  and  fearing  a  wild  cat 
might  have  got  amongst  them,  and  flying  to 
their  rescue,  found  Leila  before  one  of  the  nests, 
shaking  with  violence  the  poor,  unhappy  hen 
who  was  seated  upon  it.  She  stopped  on  seeing 
her  papa,  and  the  poor,  frightened  bird  took 
shelter  between  Mr.  Howard's  legs. 

"Leila,"  he  exclaimed,  "I  can  scarcely  be- 
lieve what  I  see  before  me:" 

"  O  papa,"  she  answered,  and  her  face  and 
neck  became  the  colour  of  scarlet;  "indeed  I 
could  not  help  being  angry  ;  I  got  an  egg  from 
each  of  the  other  nests,  but  this  bad,  stupid  hen 
will  not  give  me  one  ;  and  how  can  we  set  the 
hen  to-day  when  we  have  only  twelve  ?" 


LEILA.  77 

"Leila,  it  is  not  the  hen  that  is  either  bad  or 
stupid,  but  it  is  you  who  are  unreasonable ;  it  is 
not  its  nature  at  present  to  give  you  an  egg 
every  day ;  you  will  probably  find  one  in  the 
nest  to-morrow ;  but  I  shall  not  now  allow  nurse 
to  set  the  hen  for  two  days  to  come.  I  am  sorry 
to  be  obliged  to  punish  you,  my  child ;  but  it  is 
my  duty  to  endeavour  in  every  way  to  check 
this  impatience  of  temper,  which  may  lead  you 
into  the  most  frightful  faults.  You  had  but  just 
risen  from  your  knees,  Leila,  where  you  had 
been  asking  your  God  and  Father  to  love  you 
as  his  child,  to  put  his  Holy  Spirit  into  your 
heart,  and  to  make  you  more  obedient,  more 
meek  and  lowly  like  himself,  and  fitted  to  be  a 
lamb  of  his  flock.  Do  you  think  he  could  love 
you  at  the  moment  you  were  giving  way  to  such 
different  feelings  ?" 

"Ono,  papa,  he  could  not;  but  he  sees  me 
now,  and  he  knows  I  am  sorry — 0  indeed,  in- 
deed I  am  sorry!"  and  she  clasped  her  little 
hands  together  in  strong  emotion.  "But,  papa, 
am  I  never  to  grow  good  when  I  wish  it  so  very 
much  ?  Am  I  always  to  go  on  struggling,  strug 
gling?" 

"  Yes,  Leila,  we  must  always  go  on  struggling 
with  our  inclination  to  do  evil ;  but  God  has 
said,  '  My  grace  is  sufficient  for  you ;'  and  he  is 
the  same  '  faithful  God  who  will  not  suffer  us  to 


78  LEILA. 

be  tempted  above  what  we  are  able  to  bear,  but 
will,  with  the  temptation,  also  make  a  way  of 
escape,  that  we  may  be  able  to  bear  it.'  We 
shall  never  be  free  from  sin  as  long  as  we  are  in 
this  world ;  but  if  we  have  deeply  repented  for 
having  offended,  and  constantly  pray  for  God's 
holy  Spirit  to  strengthen  us  against  giving  way 
to  sin,  we  shall,  after  .this  life,  be  received  into 
everlasting  happiness;  for  if  we  humbly  seek 
for  grace  to  guide  us  in  obeying  God's  holy  will, 
he  has  promised  to  help  all  those  who  feel  their 
weakness,  and  put  their  trust  in  him;  and  he 
will  give  you  strength,  and  bring  you  to  his 
heavenly  kingdom,  where  there  will  be  no  more 
struggle  with  evil ;  you  will  be  made  pure  even 
as  he  is  pure,  and  fitted  to  dwell  with  your  Lord 
and  Saviour  in  perfect  happiness  for  ever.  And 
now,  my  child,  go  and  tell  nurse  to  get  ready  to 
accompany  us,  and  let  us  begin  our  walk  in  this 
cool  and  lovely  morning.  Look,  Leila,  how 
that  glorious  sun — an  emblem  of  God  himself — • 
is  rising  above  the  hill,  shedding  its  glowing 
light  on  each  surrounding  object,  chasing  away 
the  shades  of  night,  and  drawing  up  the  dews  of 
heaven  in  those  clouds  of  soft  transparent  mist 
which  are  still  sleeping  on  the  valleys! — So 
may  the  pure  light  of  the  Gospel  rise  upon  our 
dark  hearts,  and  shed  everlasting  peace  and 
happiness  around  us !" 


LEILA.  79 

It  was  the  work  of  some  weeks  before  the 
fence  was  complete,  and  Mr.  Howard  had  suc- 
ceeded in  putting  the  seed  into  the  ground ;  but 
this  necessary  business  being  effected,  he  re- 
solved to  take  the  other  projected  improvements 
more  leisurely,  and  now  to  devote  regularly  a 
portion  of  every  day  to  Leila's  studies.  The 
want  of  books  was  a  sad  drawback  to  her  im- 
provement ;  but  the  cultivation  of  Mr.  Howard's 
own  mind  enabled  him  to  impart  to  her  much 
useful  information. 

After  her  religious  duties  were  over,  and  he 
had  read  and  explained  the  Bible  with  her,  he 
gave  her  a  lecture  on  history  every  day ;  and 
they  then  regularly  went  down  to  the  beach 
together ;  and  before  the  heat  of  the  day  com- 
menced, she  received  instructions  from  him  in 
geography,  writing,  and  arithmetic.  With  a 
sharp-pointed  stick  she  traced  the  different 
countries  on  the  sand,  and  summed  up  many 
a  long  list  of  figures ;  and  her  writing  lesson 
#as  always  given  in  French  :  in  that  language 
she  had  already  made  considerable  progress, 
having  been  accustomed  to  hear  her  papa  speak 
it  with  a  French  gentleman  who  had  been  his 
secretary,  and  who  had  kindly  given  Leila 
a  daily  lesson:  she  now  wrote  it  every  day 
on  sand,  her  papa  dictating  to  her  simple 
phrases  in  English,  and  she  writing  them 


80  LEILA. 

down  in  French.  Her  stock  of  hymns  was 
kept  up  by  constant  repetition;  and  many  a 
piece  of  poetry  was  added  from  the  stores  of 
Mr.  Howard's  memory:  he  often  employed  him- 
self by  writing  them  down  on  the  leaves  of  the 
palm-tree;  and  Leila  would  frequently  amuse 
herself  by  writing  a  little  letter  to  her  papa  on 
a  palm-tree  leaf,  and  tying  it  up  with  a  tendril 
from  the  vine ;  for  although  there  were  a  few 
reels  of  cotton  in  her  workbox,  nurse  watched 
over  them  with  a  jealous  eye. 

To  Leila's  infinite  delight,  there  were  no  more 
frills  to  hem;  but  the  cotton  was  sufficiently 
necessary  in  repairing  the  many  rents  which 
her  frocks  sustained  in  climbing  the  trees — an 
accomplishment  in  which  she  soon  became  so 
expert,  that  the  very  squirrels  themselves  were 
lost  in  astonishment. 

Many  were  the  nests  of  the  wood-pigeon  and 
the  turtle-dove  which  she  made  acquaintance  with 
in  her  researches  amidst  those  higher  branches 
of  natural  science ;  for  as  she  generally  carried 
a  few  crumbs  with  her  for  the  young  birds,  they 
soon  learnt  to  know  Leila's  cheerful  "  chirp, 
chirp !"  and  would  open  wide  their  little  mouths 
to  be'  fed,  and  look  up  to  her  with  eyes  of 
respectful  tenderness  and  truly  filial  affection. 
Her  papa  allowed  her  to  remove  some  of  the 
nests  down  to  the  rocks  ;  and  the  old  birds,  see- 


LEILA.  8Jk 

ing  no  further  harm  was  intended  them,  continu- 
ed still  to  take  charge'of  their  domestic  concerns, 
ancl  gave  Leila  many  useful  hints  in  the  man- 
agement of  their  infant  nurseries.  She  would 
watch  with  the  greatest  interest  the  proceedings 
of  the  parent  birds,  and  was  astonished  at  the 
affection  and  unwearied  patience  and  activity 
they  displayed.  She  tried  to  keep  account 
of  how  often  they  would  return  to  the  nest 
during  an  hour  with  food  for  their  young, 
but  found  it  was  beyond  all  counting  —  it 
seemed  to  her  as  if  soon  there  would  not  be  a 
worm,  a  fly,  or  a  white  ant,  left  in  the  whole 
island. 

It  was  a  fresh  delight  to  her  when  the  young 
birds  first  began  to  receive  instruction  in  the  art 
of  flying.  Leila  would  seat  herself  at  a  little 
distance,  and  watch  their  first  attempts  with  the 
keenest  enjoyment.  ^ 

"  0  papa,"  she  excliamed  one  morning,  "  1 
have  had  such  delightful  amusement  to-day — 
I  have  seen  all  my  six  little  turtle-doves  fly 
out  of  their  nest.  You  know,  papa,  I  gave  them 
names — there  were  Bob,  Harry,  and  Billy,  and 
Fanny,  Lucy,  and  Kitty.  Well,  papa,  the 
mamma  came  to  them  this  morning,  and  she 
chirped  and  chirped  and  spoke  to  them  for  a 
long  time,  and  told  them  what  to  do,  and  they 
nodded  their  heads  and  said  'Yes.'" 


'82  LEILA. 

"  Now,  Leila,  don't  let  your  imagination  run 
away  with  you." 

"  Well,  papa,  I  mean  that  they  understood 
— for  they  did  understand,  papa.  The  mamma 
fiew  down  upon  the  grass,  and  chirped  and 
chirped  again  ;  and  they  all  got  up  and  stood 
on  the  edge  of  the  nest,  and  fluttered  their 
wings,  and  then  they  took  courage,  and  three 
of  them  flew  down.  Bob  and  Harry  flew  .quite 
— they  are  the  biggest  birds  in  all  the  nest; 
but  Fanny  went  round  in  a  curious  way  in  the 
air,  and  came  tumbling  down  :  then  the  mamma 
went  to  her  to  comfort  her,  I  fancy,  and  she 
chirped  again,  and  flew  a  little  way  towards  the 
nest,  but  she  did  not  go  into  it ;  and  Billy  and 
Lucy  flew  to  meet  her,  and  came  down  quite 
safe ;  but  Kitty  was  a  great  coward,  and  she 
would  not  come  down ;  she  stood  on  the  edge 
of  the  nest  fluttering  her  wings,  but  she  would 
not  try  to  fly ;  and  then,  papa,  do  you  know 
what  the  mamma  did  ? — she  flew  up  and  gave 
her  a  push,  and  she  came  rumbling  tumbling 
down,  just  as  Fanny  had  done.  And  so  now 
they  are  all  out  of  the  nest,  and  flying  about 
and  hopping  on  the  grass,  quite  merry :  and 
may  I  have  some  crumbs  to  feed  them  ?  for  I 
am  sure  they  like  crumbs  better  than  worms  and 
flies :  besides,  it  is  cruel  in  them  to  eat  the  poor 
worms  and  flies." 


LEILA.  83 

"  No,  Leila,  it  is  not  cruel,  it  is  God's  inten 
tion  that  it  should  be  so ;  this  earth  would  be 
overrun  with  worms  and  flies,  if  their  numbers 
were  not  diminished  in  this  way ;  these  insects 
are  given  them  for  food,  just  as  many  birds  and 
animals  are  given  us  for  food.  I  am  always 
sorry  when  I  am  obliged  to  shoot  a  bird,  or  one 
of  those  pretty  little  rabbits  which  you  see  run- 
ning about  in  such  numbers ;  but  still  it  is  neces- 
sary that  it  should  be  done." 

"  I  am  very  sorry  too,  papa ;  and  I  was  very 
sorry  that  day  when  you  shot  the  little  kid.  Do 
you  think  you  could  catch  me  a  kid  alive  ?  I 
should  like  so  much  to  have  one.  Dash  runs 
after  them  very  often,  and  nearly  catches  them ; 
but  then  they  get  on  the  rocks,  and  give  such 
skips.  I  wish  I  could  follow  them  on  the  rocks, 
I  should  like  so  much  to  get  hold  of  one." 

"  O  no,  Leila,  you  must  not  attempt  to  get 
upon  the  rocks;  your  climbing  the  trees,  as  you 
do  now,  often  gives  me  serious  alarm :  besides, 
my  child,  you  should  have  some  compassion  on 
poor  nurse's  feelings;  she  is  quite  heart-broken 
with  the  state  of  your  wardrobe — she  tells  me 
you  are  tearing  your  frocks  most  sadly ;  and  you 
know,  my  dear  Leila,  it  will  be  impossible  tc 
replace  them  here." 

"  But,  papa,  nurse  has  made  such  a  good  plan 
for  that ;  she  is  keeping  all  the  rabbit-skins,  and 


84  LEILA. 

when  she  has  enough,  she  is*  to  sew  them  to- 
gether, and  make  them  into  a  little  dress  for  me : 
and  when  I  climb  up*  into  the  trees  with  my 
rabbit-skin  frock  on,  may  be  the  squirrels  will 
think  I  am  another  little  squirrel,  and  let  me 
catch  them ;  but  will  you  try  to  get  me  a  squir 
rel,  papa,  if  you  cannot  get  me  a  kid  ?" 

"  I  would  rather  endeavour  to  get  you  a  kid, 
my  love  ;  I  have  often  been  wishing  of  late  that 
we  could  contrive  to  catch  some  of  those  goats 
with  their  kids;  their  milk  would  be  a  very 
great  luxury  to  us.  Nurse  was  regretting  very 
much  the  other  day  that  we  could  get  no  milk 
for  you  ;  and  she  tells  me  that  when  she  was  a 
young  girl,  she  was  accustomed  to  take  charge 
of  her  mother's  dairy,  and  that  if  we  had  a  few 
goats,  she  could  take  charge  of  them,  and  milk 
them  for  us,  and  even  make  a  little  butter ;  but 
how  she  is  to  contrive  making  butter  I  know 
not,  as  we  have  no  churn." 

"She  told  me  about  it,  papa;  she  said  she 
could  make  it  in  the  glass  bottle  which  is  in  the 
canteen,  but  that  she  would  be  able  to  make 
very  little  at  a  time ;  and  she  said  if  we  had 
goats  she  could  teach  me  to  milk  them,  and  to 
make  the  butter.  0  that  would  be  so  delight- 
ful !  I  hope  you  will  try  to  catch  them  im« 
mediately,  papa.  Will  you  begin  to-day  ?" 

"  But,  Leila,  how  is  it  to  be  done  ?     You  that 


LEILA.  85 

are  fond  of  making  plans  should  tell  me  how  I 
am  to  contrive  to  catch  them.  Well,  I  see  you 
are  racking  your  little  brain ;  what  do  you  ad- 
vise?" ' 

"  Would  it  be  a  good  plan,  papa,  to  come  up 
to  them  very,  very  softly,  when  they  are  not 
looking,  and  put  a  rope  round  their  necks,  and 
oia^e  them  come  home  ?" 

"  A  very  good  plan,  Leila,  if  they  would  look 
another  way,  and  would  stand  still  to  have  a  rope 
put  round  their  necks.  Your  plan  reminds  me 
of  my  own  little  sisters  going  out  day  after  day 
with  a  handful  of  salt,  to  catch  pigeons  with. 
Their  nurse  told  them  that  if  they  could  only 
contrive  to  throw  salt  on  the  pigeons'  tails,  they 
would  stand  still  and  allow  themselves  to  be 
caught ;  but  the  pigeons  were  refractory ;  they 
always  flew  away  as  the  little  girls  approached 
them,  and  the  goats  would  soon  scamper  off  also. 
No ;  you  must  think  of  some  other  way.  Do 
you  remember  what  Robinson  Crusoe  did  ?" 

"  O  yes,  now  I  remember — he  dug  pits,  and 
the  goats  fell  into  them." 

"  Well,  Leila,  I  mean  to  try  that  method  of 
catching  them.  In  all  our  improvements  I  have 
taken  a  great  many  useful  hints  from  Robinson 
Crusoe.  Do  you  recollect  that  he  also  hung  up 
the  grapes  to  dry  on  the  branches  of  the  trees, 
just  as  we  have  been  doing ;  and  that  he  sowed 


86  LEILA. 

Hce  and  corn,  which  I  am  sure  could  not  have 
come  up  better  than  ours  has  done  ?  But  I 
don't  think  I  could  be  as  successful  as  he  was 
in  making  bowls  and  different  vessels  of  clay, 
and  burning  them  in  the  fire,  so  as  to  make 
them  fit  for  containing  any  kind  of  liquid.  If 
we  were  to  succeed  in  catching  the  goats,  we 
should  be  much  at  a  loss  for  vessels  to  hold^the 
milk.  I  mean,  however,  to  attempt  making 
some  wooden  bowls:  those  trees  which  were 
thrown  down  by  the  storm  will  furnish  me  with 
ample  materials.  Now  that  we  have  made  use 
of  the  smaller  branches  for  our  chairs,  the  stems 
will  answer  well  for  the  bowls;  and  I  think  I 
might  even  contrive  to  hollow  out  a  portion  of 
one  of  them,  and  form  a  sort  of  churn — at  any 
rate,  it  is  well  to  make  the  attempt :  let  us  get 
every  thing  in  readiness  for  the  goats,  in  the 
hope  that  they  may  be  caught.  The  enclosing 
a  small  field  for  them,  with  a  fence  all  round,  will 
be  another  great  work  for  us ;  but  we  shall 
probably  have  time  to  complete  it  before  we 
have  a  flock  to  confine  ;  and  if  we  should  find 
a  goat  in  the  pits,  or  even  two,  we  can  manage 
to  keep  them  from  running  away,  meanwhile, 
by  your  plan,  Leila,  of  putting  a  rope  round 
their  necks,  and  tying  it  to  one  of  the  trees,  so 
as  to  enable  them  to  feed  around  the  sides  of 
the  cave." 


LEILA.  8? 

"  Papa,  I  hope  you  will  always  be  making 
Borne  more  improvements ;  for  I  like  so  much 
to  hear  you  talk  about  them,  and  to  see  you 
working,  and  to  help  you  a  little.  You  know 
the  great  event,  ,as  you  call  it,  papa,  will  soon 
happen  now.  Look,  here  are  my  leaves !"  and 
Leila  took  from  her  breast  five  small  green 
leaves.  "  I  gathered  twenty  leaves,"  she  con- 
tinued, "and  I  have  put  away  one  every  night; 
to-night  I  will  put  another  away,  and  then  there 
will  be  only  four,  and  in  four  days  we  will  go 
into  the  beautiful  green  parlour.  Do  you  re- 
member that,  papa?" 

"  Why,  Leila,  it  is  not  very  probable  that  I 
should  forget,  as  I  think  you  generally  remind 
me  of  it  at  least  five  times  a  day.  But  do  you 
remember,  my  little  girl,  that  for  two  days  be- 
fore you  are  not  to  go  near  your  green  bower — 
no,  not  to  have  the  slightest  peep  at  it?" 

"  0  yes,  papa,  I  remember  that  quite  well ; 
for  you  are  to  surprise  me,  you  know.  What 
can  the  surprise  be? — I  am  always  thinking 
what  it  can  be.  It  is  very  pleasant  to  have  a 
surprise  to  think  of— I  think  of  it  every  night 
when  I  am  in  my  bed ;  and  when  I  awake,  I 
know  that  something  is  making  me  very  happy, 
and  then  I  remember  that  it  is  the  surprise." 

"  And  do  you  remember  also,  my  child,  who 
it  is  that  puts  it  into  my  heart  to  make  you 


88  LEILA. 

happy,  and  who  gives  you  a  healthful  body, 
and  a  peaceful  mind,  and  the  power  of  enjoy- 
ing happiness  ?" 

"Yes,  papa,  I  do;  and  I  think "  Leila 

stopped  and  coloured. 

"  What  do  you  think,  my  love  ?" 

"  I  think,  papa,  that  I  love  God  more  since 
I  came  into  the  island;  and  I  pray  to  him 
more — not  pray  to  him,  but  I  say  short  things 
to  myself:  when  the  sun  is  setting,  and  the  sky 
is  full  of  purple  and  gold,  and  every  thing  is 
shining  with  it,  I  say  to  myself  that  God  is 
very  good  to  have  made  this  island  so  beautiful 
for  us ;  and  when  you  are  kissing  me,  and  look- 
.  ing  at  me  so  kindly,  then  I  love  God  more  for 
keeping  you  alive  to  kiss  me,  and  to  be  so 
good  to  me.  You  know,  papa,  I  read  the 
Bible  a  great  deal  more  now ;  I  am  often  read- 
ing it  under  the  trees,  when  I  am  not  busy  with 
you,  and  that  makes  me  know  more  about  God, 
and  then  I  love  him  better." 

"Leila,  my  child,  you  cannot  think  how 
very,  very  happy  you  have  made  your  papa 
by  saying  so ;  and  now  leave,  me,  dearest,  that 
I  may  alone,  and  on  my  knees,  thank  God  for 
having  touched  your  little  heart,  and  given  you 
his  grace,  which  alone  enables  you  to  have  such 
feelings." 


LEILA.  89 


CHAPTER  YIL 

CTVE  days  of  Leila's  young  and  happy  life 
glided  away,  and  on  the  sixth  morning  she 
sprang  up  and  sought;  her  father — Mr.  Howard 
was  nowhere  to  be  found. 

"Compose  yourself,  Miss  Leila,"  observed 
nurse,  "  and  don't  keep  racketing  about  in  that 
way;  your  papa  has  gone  to  the  bower,  and 
expressly  forbids  that  you  should  follow  him — 
so  you  are  not  to  go." 

"  And  do  you  think  I  would  go,  nurse,  with- 
out his  leave  ?  I  wonder  how  you  can  be  so 
very " 

Leila  meant  to  have  said  "so  very  cross," 
but  she  checked  herself  in  time,  although  she 
grew  red  with  indignation.  Her  papa  entered 
at  this  moment. 

"  Papa,"  she  said,  (as  she  ran  up  to  him,  and 
hid  her  face  on  his  breast,  as  he  stooped  to 
embrace  her,)  "  papa,  will  you  hear  me  say  my 
prayers  ?" 

Poor  Leila  felt  that  at  that  moment  there 
was  no  security  for  her  but  in  prayer ;  she 


'90  LEILA. 

knelt  at  her  father's  knee,  and  rose  with  a  calm 
and  peaceful  countenance. 

"  Leila,"  said  Mr.  Howard,  "  your  happy  day 
and  your  happy  hour  have  come  at  last.  Let 
us  go  to  your  green  parlour ;  we  will  read  the 
Bible  together  after  breakfast,  for  I  am  not 
sure  that  at  this  moment  you  could  give  it  your 
whole  attention. 

Leila  looked  about  for  nurse,  and  was  told 
that  she  would  find  her  already  there.  She 
bounded  on  before  her  papa;  then  running 
back  to  meet  him  again,  she  seized  his  hand 
and  pulled  him  forward.  At  the  entrance  of 
the  green  bower  she  was  met  by  Dash,  who  ap- 
peared to  consider  himself  as  master  of  the 
ceremonies,  and  seemed  anxiously  to  invite  her 
entrance ;  but  she  paused  on  the  threshold  for 
some  minutes  to  read  and  admire  the  word, 
Welcome,  which  her  papa  had  traced  in  bright 
flowers  above  the  door  ;  then  darting  forward, 
she  stood  lost  in  admiration.  The  bower  was 
beautifully  ornamented  inside  with  festoons  of 
wild  flowers,  and  breakfast  was  laid  out  on  a 
table  in  the  middle,  and  rustic  chairs  were 
placed  around ;  but  neither  this  table^  nor  those 
chairs  were  new  to  Leila:  she  had  watched 
over  the  progress  of  the  work,  and  had  herself 
assisted  her  papa  in  selecting  the  materials. 
But  in  a  sweet  corner  close  to  the  window 


LEILA.  91 

which  looked  upon  the  rivulet,  there  was  a 
little  table  and  a  little  chair  she  had  never  seen 
before — a  pretty  cage  of  white  wicker  work, 
with  a  pair  of  turtle-doves  hung  upon  a  branch 
by  the  window ;  and  on  this  little  table  stood  a 
beautiful  basket  of  the  same  materials ;  it  was 
covered  with  green  leaves,  intermixed  with 
bright  flowers.  She  removed  the  leaves,  and 
two  little  rabbits,  white  as  snow,  met  her  de- 
lighted eyes.  Leila  clasped  her  papa's  knees, 
then  springing  up  into  his  arms,  she  covered 
his  cheek  with  kisses.  Mr.  Howard  was  almost 
as  happy  as  his  child ;  her  pure  joy  was  balm 
to  his  heart,  and  he  watched  her  in  silent  grati- 
tude as  she  flew  from  one  spot  to  another  in  all 
the  restlessness  of  delight.  • 

"  And  now,  Leila,"  he  said,  after  every  corner 
had  been  examined  again  and  again,  and  every 
exclamation  of  admiration  exhausted,  "now 
take  your  guitar,  and  let  us  sing  together  the 
morning  hymn,  and  then  proceed  to  breakfast." 

Nurse  had  also  performed  her  part  well. 
The  breakfast  was  excellent  chocolate,  hot  cakes 
of  the  casava-apple,  arrow-root,  new-laid  eggs, 
and  a  magnificent  plate  of  grapes  from  the 
fountain  tree.  What  little  girl  would  not  have 
thought  such  a  breakfast  superb  ?  Leila  con- 
sidered nurse  to  be  the  most  amiable  of  women. 

After  breakfast,   they  visited  the  enclosure 


92  LEILA. 

of  lice  and  Indian  corn,  which  looked  most 
flourishing,  and  then  walked  towards  the  foun- 
tain. On  their  way,  Leila  discovered  what  she 
thought  at  first  was  some  sort  of  building. 

"Look,  papa  !"  she  exclaimed,  "  people  must 
have  been  here  to  make  this  building.  How 
curious  it  is!  it  looks  like  a  number  of  sugar- 
loaves  standing  quite  close  together;  only  they 
are  brown,  and  some  little  and  some  big.  Look 
what  a  tall  one  is  in  the  middle;  I  cannot  near 
ly  reach  up  to  it.  May  I  try  to  climb  up, 
papa  ?" 

"  No,  my  love,  you  had  better  not :  this  is  not 
a  building,  Leila,  made  by  the  hands  of  man  ; 
it  is  a  complete  city,  built  by  the  white  ants, 
with  roads  and  bridges,  leading  to  galleries, 
royal  apartments,  nurseries,  and  magazines  of 
provisions." 

"  O,  papa,  how  curious! — do  tell  me  more 
about  it. 

"  Well,  Leila,  let  us  go  to  the  fountain,  and 
Beat  ourselves  in  the  shade  under  our  favourite 
tree  ;  we  shall  be  far  more  comfortable  there." 

Leila  bounded  on  before,  and  soon  was  seated 
in  eager  expectation. 

"And  now,  papa,"  she  exclaimed,  as  Mr. 
Howard  placed  himself  by  her  side,  "  do  begin." 

"  Why,  Leila,  I  am  afraid  I  cannot  tell  you 
much  more  on  the  subject ;  but  I  recollect  realing 


LEILA.  95 

a  very  interesting  .paper  by  Smeathman  relating 
to  white  ants,  and  he  describes  them  as  a  very 
interesting  little  nation,  consisting  of  kings, 
queens,  soldiers,  and  labourers.  The  birds,  as 
you  know,  are  sad  enemies  to  white  ants ;  they 
are  constantly  darting  upon  them  when  they  ara 
running  about  on  the  surface  of  the  ground,  and 
conveying  them  off  to  feed  their  young,  and  in 
some  countries  they  are  used  as  food  by  th« 
natives,  and  considered  as  a  great  delicacy :  they 
are  said  to  be,  when  fried,  lilie  sugared  cream,  or 
a  paste  of  sweet  almonds;  however,  there  are  still 
a  great  many  white  ants  which  escape  both  birds 
and  men,  and  at  certain  seasons  of  the  year  the 
labourers  run  about  on  the  surface  of  the  ground 
in  search  of  a  king  and  queen  to  rule  over  them, 
and  when  they  meet  with  a  couple  of  handsome, 
well-shaped,  perfect  ants,  with  four  wings  apiece, 
they  choose  them  for  their  king  and  queen  ;  and 
to  protect  them  from  birds  and  frying-pans, 
they  immediately  enclose  them  in  a  royal  cham- 
ber built  of  clay,  and  appoint  soldiers  and  at- 
tendants to  watch  over  them.  A  number  of 
other  chambers  and  nurseries  are  built  all 
around  the  royal  apartment,  which,  for  security 
is  always  placed  in  the  centre  of  the  building , 
and  still  further  to  ensure  their  -safety,  the  en- 
trance is  made  too  small  to  admit  of  their  ever 
having  it ;  for  the  king  and  queen,  enjoying  a 


94  L  E  I  L  A . 

life  of  ease  and  luxury,  soon  become  such  large 
majestic-looking  ants,  that  they  would  assuredly 
stick  in  the  door-way  were  they  to  attempt  get- 
ting out;  whereas  the  soldiers  and  labourers 
who  have  the  flesh  worked  off  their  little  bones 
with  constant  employment,  continue  to  pass 
swiftly  and  easily  out  and  in.  The  eggs  which 
the  queen  deposits  are  carried  to  the  nurseries 
by  the  labourers  who  take  Charge  of  the  young 
when  they  are  hatched,  and  as  their  numbers  in- 
crease, and  those  nurseries  become  too  small, 
they  pull  them  down  and  build  larger." 

"  What  clever  ants,  papa !  I  am  sure  I  could 
not  do  that." 

"  Indeed,  Leila,  you  could  not.  Your  green 
parlour,  which  you  have  been  admiring  so 
much,  and  all  the  different  arrangements  I  have 
been  contriving  there,  dwindle  into  insignifi- 
cance compared  to  the  contrivance  and  wonder- 
ful arrangement  of  these  little  creatures.  It 
would  seem  as  if  they  were  aware  from  the  first 
that  their  nurseries  would  require  to  be  enlarged ; 
the  royal  apartment,  the  different  chambers  for 
the  soldiers  and  labourers,  and  the  magazines 
for  their  provisions,  are  all  built  of  clay,  which 
soon  hardens  and  becomes  like  mason  work ; 
but  the  nurseries  are  built  entirely  of  wood, 
joined  together  by  a  species  of  gum,  and  easily 
taken  to  pieces.  At  first  they  are  aU  built 


LEILA.  96 

to  the  royal  apartment,  but  as  the  numbers 
of  the  young  increase,  more  and  more  room  is 
requisite,  and  additional  nurseries  are  construct- 
ed both  beyond  the  other  chambers  and  above 
them,  and  as  the  ceilings  of  those  are  all  arched, 
and  also  the  passages  and  galleries  leading  to 
them,  they  help  to  support  each  other ;  but  in 
this  increased  state  of  the  building  the  soldiers 
and  labourers  seem  to  consider  themselves  as 
rather  oppressed  with  work;  and  no  wonder, 
for  they  have  to  wait  upon  the  king  and  queen, 
who  require  more  attendance  as  they  advance  in 
life.  They  have  to  carry  wood,  and  water,  and 
provisions,  and  to  trot  about  with  the  eggs  to 
the  different  nurseries,  and  to  watch  over  the 
young  ;  so  to  make  those  new  rooms  more  easy 
of  access,  they  sometimes  build  staircases  to 
them,  and  when  they  are  far  removed  from  the 
queen's  chamber,  they  shorten  the  distance  by 
throwing  a  bridge  across.  Smeathman  mentions 
one  of  those  bridges,  which  was  half  an  inch, 
broad,  a  quarter  of  an  inch  thick,  and  ten 
inches  long." 

"  0,  papa,  do  not  stop,  tell  me  more  about 
them.  How  can  such  little  creatures  make 
such  a  large  building  ?" 

"They  do*  it,  Leila,  by  the  most  constant 
patience  and  industry;  they  are  never  a  mo- 
ment idle;  they  are  not  like  some  little  girls 


96  LEILA. 

who  used  to  the  sadly  when  they  had  long  frills 
to  hem." 

"  But,  papa,  you  know  I  have  no  frills  to  hem 
here,  or  I  think,  may  be,  I  should  not  tire  now." 

"No,  my  love,  you  certainly  have  not  frills 
to  hem,  but  you  have  many  other  things  to  do, 
which  require  patience  and  perseverance.  You 
must  now  try  to  resemble  those  little  ants,  and 
patiently  pursue  your  task  till  you  have  made 
it  perfect."  » 

"  But  how  can  they  work  it  up  so  high, 
papa?" 

"  I  see,  Leila,  you  are  breathless  at  the  very 
idea  of  such  a  labour,  and  no  wonder.  Do  you 
know  that  those  buildings  are  more  than  five 
hundred  times  the  height  of  the  ants  themselves  ? 
Only  think  of  our  attempting  to  build  houses  five 
hundred  times  as  high  as  ourselves ;  why,  they 
would  reach  to  the  clouds;  and  those  little 
creatures  show  the  most  wonderful  skill  and 
contrivance  in  their  buildings,  which  first  make 
their  appearance  above  ground  by  a  little  turret 
or  two  in  the  shape  of  sugar-loaves ;  soon  after, 
whilst  those  are  increasing  in  height  and  size, 
they  raise  others,  and  go  on  adding  to  their 
number,  aud  widening  them  at  the  bottom,  till 
their  works  below  are  covered  with  those  tur- 
rets;' for  they  have  chambers,  and  galleries, 
and  passages  below  ground  as  well  as  above* 


LEILA.  9i 

The  highest  turret  is  always  in  the  middle,  and 
by  filling  up  the  space  between  each  with  clay, 
they  collect  them  into  one  roof  or  dome,  and 
when  by  their  joining  them  the  roof  is  comple- 
ted, for  which  purpose  the  turrets  answer  as 
scaffolds  for  them  to  work  upon,  they  take 
away  the  middle  turrets  entirely,  except  the 
parts  which,  joined  together,  make  a  kind  of 
crown  or  cupola ;  and  that  nothing  may  be  lost, 
they  carry  water  and  moisten  the  clay  which 
they  have  taken  down  again,  and  make  use  of 
*t  in  building  the  chambers,  and  nurseries,  and 
galleries  within." 

"  Papa,  it  is  as  wonderful  as  a  fairy  tale — I 
hope  you  are  not  going  to  stop  yet  ?" . 

"  Yes,  my  love,  I  am ;  we  will  talk  more 
about  the  ants  to-morrow  or  another  day ;  but 
let  us  return  now.  As  this  is  to  be  a  "holiday,  I 
have  promised  nurse  to  endeavour  to  procure  a 
dish  of  trout  for  dinner :  and  are  you  not  im- 
patient, Leila,  to  get  back  to  your  green  parlour, 
and  see  what  the  rabbits  and  turtle-doves  are 
about?  Both  nurse  and  I  have  been  taking 
great  pains  for  some  time  back  to  train  Dash 
and  Selina  to  be  on  good  terms  with  them,  but 
we  must  not  trust  too  much  to  such  friendships." 

"  And  so  nurse  knew  the  secret  of  the  surprise, 
papa  ?  and  did  she  help  you  to  make  the  beau- 
tiful basket  and  the  cage  ?" 
9 


98  LEILA. 

"  No,  my  love,  that  has  been  my  morning's 
work  for  some  days  past,  when  you  were  fast 
asleep.  Had  this  been  my  first  attempt  at 
wicker  work,  I  could  not  have  accomplished  it 
so  easily.  I  used  to  make  baskets  for  my  little 
sisters.  There  was  a  basket-maker  in  our  vil- 
lage who  had  a  large  family,  and  my  sisters  often 
employed  themselves  in  making  clothes  for  his 
children.  He  was  very  grateful,  and  allowed 
me  to  come  and  see  him  at  work,  and  then  he 
offered  to  teach  me  to  make  a  basket  for  each 
of  my  sisters.  You  see,  Leila,  it  is  well  to  learn 
as  much  as  possible  in  youth,  for  we  cannot  tell 
of  what  importance  it  may  prove  at  some  one 
time  or  other  in  one's  life. ,  Now  let  us  proceed, 
my  love,  and  return  to  our  green  parlour." 

"  Yes,  papa ;  and  I  will  try  to  persevere  like 
the  ants ;  and  when  I  have  played  with  my 
rabbits  and  my  turtle-doves  for  a  little,  I  will  go 
back  to  the  cave  to  my  tiresome  job  again." 

"  And  what  is  your  tiresome  job,  Leila  ?" 

"  Seeking  for  a  needle  in  the  gravel,  papa, 
which  I  threw  away  yesterday  when  I  had 
finished  mending  my  frock." 

"  Threw  away,  Leila  1" 

."  Yes,  papa.  You  see  I  wished  very  much 
to  go  and  walk  with  you,  but  nurse  said  my 
frock  must  first  be  mended  ;  so  I  worked  as  fast 
as  ever  I  could,  and  when  I  came  to  the  end  of 


LEILA.  99 

the  great,  long  tear,  I  snapped  off  my  thread  in 
a  great  hurry  and  threw  away  the  needle.  So 
then  nurse  was  angry :  she  said  it  would  require 
the  patience  of  a  saint  to  manage  me ;  and  she 
made  me  sit  down  on  the  ground  and  look  for 
the  needle  for  half  an  hour ;  and  she  says  I  am 
to  look  for  it  every  day  for  half  an  hour  till  I 
find  it. 

"  Nurse  is  quite  right,  my  child,  and  you  see 
into  what  errors  this  impatience  of  temper  is 
constantly  leading  you.  I  entreat,  Leila,  that 
you  may  watch  over  yourself,  and  never  cease 
to  implore  God's  assistance  to  enable  you  to  get 
the  better  of  this  fault ;  and  never  let  me  hear 
of  your  throwing  away  another  needle." 

"  No,  papa,  I  will  not ;  for  you  see  we  have 
very  few  needles  here ;  we  had  only  eleven 
when  nurse  counted  yesterday  morning,  and  if 
I  don't  find  this  one  there  will  be  only  ten, 
which  will  make  her  look  very  sorry  for  a  long 
time,  for  she  counts  the  needles  here  every 
morning,  just  as  she  used  to  do  the  silver  tea- 
spoons at  home." 

Poor  nurse !  she  was  a  person  of  but  limited  • 
capacity,  although  of  deep  feelings :  and  the  loss 
of  a  needle,  in  her  present  circumstances,  cer- 
tainly for  some  days  afterwards  did  materially 
affect  her  spirits.  She  would  willingly  have  laid 
down  her  life  for  her  master  or  his  child :  but 


100  LEILA. 

although  an  almost  daily  sufferer  from  Leila's 
impatience  of  temper,  she  did  not,  in  her  re- 
monstrances with  the  child,  strike  at  the  root  of 
the  evil.  On  such  occasions,  as  the  throwing 
away  of  a  needle,  she  would  dwell  upon  the  loss 
itself,  not  upon  the  want  of  temper  which  led  to 
that  loss;  and,  for  more  serious  faults,  would 
overwhelm  Leila  with  a  number  of  weak  reasons 
for  her  displeasure,  at  the  moment  that  the  child 
was  beyond  the  power  of  all  reason.  But  from 
Mr.  Howard's  unceasing  care  and  judicious  man- 
agement, Leila  derived  incalculable  advantages. 
Aware  how  difficult  it  is  for  even  the  wisest  and 
the  best  of  men  to  preserve  always  the  same 
calm,  cheerful  temper,  and  conscious  there  are 
seasons  when  a  kind  of  morbid  sensitiveness  and 
uncalled-for  irritability  preys  upon  the  spirits 
of  all,  he  felt  that  the  greatest  sympathy  and 
forbearance  were  requisite  with  regard  to  a  child 
who,  with  the  most  affectionate  disposition  and 
the  keenest  feeling  of  what  was  right,  had  yet 
to  struggle  with  a  temper  naturally  hasty  and 
impatient  of  control.  There  were  times  too, 
when,  from  some  slight  bodily  indisposition, 
Leila  could  not  give  her  attention  to  what  she 
was  about,  and  when  all  employment  of  a  grave 
nature  was  irksome  to  her:  at  such  moments, 
Mr.  Howard  was  always  careful  to  avoid  every 
thing  which  could  jar  upon  her  feelings ;  and, 


LEILA.  101 

far  from  exacting  that  attention  which  she  could 
not  have  given,  and  which  would  only  have 
produced  unpleasant  irritation,  he  would,  by  in- 
viting her  to  some  lighter  study,  or  engaging 
her  in  interesting  conversation,  lull  to  sleep 
those  unpleasant  tempers,  which  she  never  gave 
way  to  without  strong  feelings  of  remorse.  Thus 
did  he,  by  a  steady,  yet  gentle  sway,  watch 
over  and  dispel  those  little  clouds  which,  under 
nurse's  well-meaning  but  unskilful  management, 
would  soon  have  produced  the  whirlwind  and 
the  storm. 
9* 


102  LEILA. 


CHAPTER  VIII.  . 

morning,  as  soon  as  the  daily  lessons 
were  over,  Leila  was  all  impatient  to  lead 
her  papa  back  to  the  subject  of  the  ants,  which 
had  taken  strong  possession  of  her  imagination. 

"Papa,"  she  said,  "I  have  been  thinking  a 
great  deal  about  those  ants ;  I  wonder  if  I  ever 
shall  become  as  industrious  and  as  patient  as 
they  are.  But  then  you  know,  papa,  they  have 
a  great  deal  of  variety  too,  and  the  little  ants 
had  nice  large  nurseries  to  play  about  in,  and 
they  would  see  the  improvements  going  on 
when  their  nurseries  were  making  larger,  and 
that's  just  what  I  should  have  liked  very  much  ; 
and  then  the  old  ants  had  nice  trotting  about, 
carrying  the  water  and  the  provisions,  and  ar- 
ranging the  eggs,  and  taking  care  of  the  little 
ones ;  but  do  you  think'  they  would  have  pa- 
tience to  look  after  a  needle  for  a  half  an  hour 
every  day  till  they  found  it?" 

"  Why,  Leila,  as  to  that,  I  rather  think  they 
would  consider  a  needle  as  a  very  formidable 
weapon,  and  probably  better  lost  than  found ; 


LEILA.  103 

but  as  to  their  patience,  the  younger  Huber  tells 
us  of  .a  single  ant  wh»,  without  any  assistance 
from  others,  began  and  completed  an  avenue  or 
•gallery  of  two  or  three  inches  long,  leading  from 
one  of  the  stories  to  the  underground  chambers. 
It  was  an  ant  of  the  dark  ash  coloured  species — 
for  there  are  many  different  kinds  of  ants — and 
it  selected  a  rainy  day  for  its  operations,  which 
they  are  fond  of  doing,  as  it  saves  them  the  la- 
bour of  carrying  water  to  moisten  the  earth. 
This  active  little  labourer  began  by  digging  the 
ground  near  the  entrance  to  the  ant-hill.  It  placed 
in  a  heap  the  earth  it  had  scraped  up,  and  formed 
it  into  little  balls,  which  it  deposited  here  and 
there  upon  the  nest ;  then  traced  a  straight  line 
to  the  under  chambers,  by  at  first  slightly  hol- 
lowing the  ground,  and  afterwards,  by  giving 
this  line  greater  breadth  and  depth,  completed 
an  avenue  of  the  most  perfect  regularity." 

"  I  think,  papa,  the  ants  are  even  more  clever 
than  the  bees  which  you  used  to  tell  me  about 
in  India :  I  shall  be  more  sorry  than  ever  now 
when  I  see  the  birds  snapping  them  up,  for  I 
like  them  very  much." 

"  My  dear  Leila,  you  know  I  have  already 
explained  to  you  the  necessity  there  is  for  one 
creature  preying  upon  another,  that  their  num- 
bers may  not  increase  too  rapidly ;  but,  in  spite 
of  this,  you  will  be  sorry  to  hear  that  your  little 


104  LEILA. 

favourites  have  another  enemy  to  contend  with, 
quite  as  formidable  as  tUfc  birds." 

"  And  what  is  that,  papa?" 

"  It  is  the  grub  of  the  ant-lion,  my  love.  Iff 
is  an  insect  of  a  gray  colour,  with  a  body  com- 
posed of  rings,  like  a  caterpillar;  it  has  only 
six  legs,  but  a  most  formidable  pair  of  jaws,  in 
the  form  of  a  reaping-hook,  with  which  it  sucks 
the  juices  oTthe  ants,  on  which  it  feeds." 

"  0  the  cruel  wretch !  I  just  hate  it,  papa ; 
but  can  it  go  quick?  Caterpillars  do  not  go 
quick :  why  do  the  ants  not  run  away  ?" 

"  So  far  from  going  quick,  Leila,  it  can  only 
walk  backwards;  and  even  that  movement  it 
performs  in  a  very  slow  and  awkward  manner." 

"  Well,  I  am  very  glad  ;  for  the  ant  runs 
so  cleverly,  that  it  will  not  be  able  to  catch 
one." 

"  Yes,  my  love,  the  activity  and  swiftness  of 
the  ants  would  indeed  render  it  impossible  for 
it  to  make  a  single  capture,  and  it  would  fare 
but  sparingly  were  it  not  for  the  ingenuity  of  its 
stratagems ;  but  the  benevolent  Creator  of  all 
has  given  in  this,  as  well  as  in  almost  every 
other  case,  additional  powers  to  the  animal, 
to  balance  its  privations.  The  ant-lion  is  ex- 
tremely sagacious  ;  and  although  it  cannot  run 
after  its  prey,  it  can  prepare  the  means  to  en- 
trap it." 


LEILA.  105 

"  And  how  does  it  do  that,  papa?" 

"  Bonnet,  who  has  written  on  the  subject,  my 
love,  tells  us  that  he  has  repeatedly  watched 
over  the  whole  operation.  The  snare  which 
the  ant-lion  empfoys  is  a  pit  formed  of  loose 
sand,  at  the  bottom  of  which  it  lies  in  wait  for 
the  ants  which  chance  to  stumble  over  the  mar- 
gin, and  cannot,  from  the  looseness  of  the  walls, 
regain  their  footing  and  effect  their  escape.  Its 
traps  are  of  various  s~izes,  from  one  to  three 
inches  round.  When  it  intends  to  make  one 
of  considerable  size,  it  proceeds  as  methodically 
as  the  most  skilful  architect  could  do.  He  says 
that  at  first  'it  examines  the  nature  of  the 
ground,  whether  it  be  sufficiently  dry  and  firm 
for  its  purpose ;  and  if  so,  it  begins  by  tracing 
out  a  circle  where  the  mouth  of  the  trap  is  in- 
tended to  be :  having  thus  marked  the  limits  of 
its  pit,  it  proceeds  to  scoop  out  the  interior: 
getting  within  the  circle,  and  using  one  of  its 
legs  as  a  shovel,  it  places  with  it  a  load  of  sand 
on  the  flat  part  of  its  head,  and  then  throws 
this  sand  with  a  jerk  some  inches  beyond  the 
circle.' " 

"  What  a  curious  creature,  papa !  I  should 
like  to  see  it  make  its  trap ;  but  how  tired  its 
little  leg  must  be  !" 

"  Yes,  Leila,  were  it  always  to  use  the  same 
leg,  it  would  i>e  tired  indeed ;  but  it  seems  to 


106.  LEILA. 

be  quite  of  opinion  that  time-about  is  fair  play ; 
it  never  uses  but  one  leg  at  a  time,  and  always 
tliat  one  nearest  the  centre  of  the  circle.  Work- 
ing with  the  greatest  industry,  it  quickly  makes 
the  round,  and,  as  it  works  backward,  arrives 
at  the  point  where  it  began ;  but  instead  of 
proceeding  in  the  same  direction  as  before,  it 
considers  that  this  leg  has  already  done  good 
service;  so,  wheeling  round  its  body,  it  works 
a  round  in  the  contrary  direction,  and  in  this 
way  avoids  throwing  all  the  fatigue  of  the  la- 
bour on  one  leg,  changing  them  at  every  round 
of  the  circle.  If  it  had  only  sand  and  loose 
earth  to  remove,  it  might  work  away  with  its 
shovel  till  the  whole  operation  was  completed ; 
but  what  is  to  be  done  when  a  stone  comes  in 
its  way,  which  would  materially  injure  the  per- 
fection of  its  trap?  and  this  very  often  happens 
in  the  course  of  its  labours,-  and  sometimes  just 
as  it  has  been  about  to  finish  them." 

"  Well,  papa,  I  am  very  glad  it  meets  with 
stones ;  and  I  hope  its  trap  will  always  be  quite 
spoilt,  and  that  it  will  go  away  as  angry  as  can 
be." 

"  No,  Leila,  its  patience  and  industry  are  inex 
haustible,  and  such  obstacles  as  this  only  make 
it  redouble  its  efforts  to  remove  the  obstruction. 
If  the  stone  be  small,  it  contrives  to  jerk  it  out 
in  the  same  way  as  it  does  the  sand ;  but  should 


LEILA.  107 

the  stone  be  two  or  three  times  larger  than  its 
own  body,  it  is  a  more  serious  business;  it 
generally  leaves  it  till  the  last,  and  when  all 
the  sand  which  is  necessary  has  been  removed, 
it  sets  about  this  grand  operation  with  a  sort  of 
desperate  resolution.  Crawling  back  to  the 
place  where  the  stone  is,  and  thrusting  its  tail 
under  it,  it  contrives,  with  a  jerk  of  its  body, 
to  get  it  properly  balanced  on  its  back :  this  is 
no  easy  matter ;  but  having  been  accomplished, 
off  it  sets  again,  to  crawl  carefully  up  the  sides 
of  the  pit,  most  anxious  to  deposit  its  heavy 
burden  on  the  outside  of  the  circle ;  but  fre- 
quently these  stones  are  round,  and  then  it  is 
no  small  difficulty  to  preserve  the  balance, 
travelling,  with  its  load  upon  its  back,  up  a 
slope  of  loose  sand,  which  is  ready  to  give  way 
at  every  step ;  and  often  when  the  creature  has 
got  up  almost  to  the  very  top,  and  is  drawing  a 
long  breath,  down  rolls  the  stone  off  its  back  to 
the  very  bottom  of  the  pit  again." 

Leila  clapped  her  hands  with  delight :  "  O 
dear,  I  am  so  happy  I"  she  exclaimed ;  "  and 
now  I  hope  it  never  tries  to  take  it  up  any 
more,  but  goes  away,  nasty  beast,  and  lets  the 
poor  ants  alone." 

"  No,  Leila,  it,  is  not  so  easily  discouraged  ; 
it  will  renew  the  attempt  five  or  six  times  till  it 
succeeds ;  or  if  that  is  impossible,  or  if  it  finds 


108  LEILA. 

a  stone  which  is  too  big  for  it  to  attempt  re 
moving  at  all,  it  immediately  begins  another 
pit  in  a  fresh  situation." 

* "  Then,  papa,  I  think  it  has  a  great  deal  too 
much  patience,  and  I  wish  it  would  rather  get 
into  a  passion  and  stamp  its  foot,  and  then  all 
the  sand  would  fall  down  and  bury  it.  I  don't 
like  the  ant-lion  at  all — I  cannot  like  it." 

"But,  Leila,  you  forget  that  it  does  all  this 
to  preserve  its  own  life ;  it  could  not  exist  with- 
out food." 

"  Well,  papa,  if  it  must  eat  so  much,  tell  me, 
then,  what  it  does  next,  if  the  stone  does  not 
roll  off  its  back?" 

"  Why,  my  love,  when  the  pit  is  completed, 
it  is  generally  about  two  inches  deep,  and  con- 
tracts into  a  point  at  the  bottom,  where  the  ant- 
lion  stations  itself  to  watch  for  its  prey,  and 
buries  itself  in  the  sand,  leaving  nothing  but  its 
jaws  above  the  surface  ready  to  seize  the  poor 
little  ants,  who,  running  too  near  the  edge  of  the 
pit,  slide  down  amongst  the  loose  sand,  and  be- 
come its  victims  ;  it  sucks  their  blood  only,  and 
then  tosses  the  dry  carcass  beyond  the  pit;  then 
mounting  up  to  the  top,  it  carefully  repairs  any 
damage  the  sides  of  it  may  have  sustained,  and 
again  buries  itself  as  before,  to  watch  for  an- 
other victim." 

"  Indeed,  papa,  I  quite  hate  this  cruel  ant-lion, 


LEILA.  109 

and  if  I  saw  the  poor  little  ants  going  near  its 
trap,  I  should  always  push  them  away." 

"  Well,  Leila,  I  see  it  is  in  vain  to  plead  ita 
cause  with  you,  and  I  fear  it  is  quite  useless  now 
that  I  should  go  on  digging  those  pits  for  the 
goats  -which  you  have  been  taking  such  an  in- 
terest in  lately,  for  you  will  be  warning  them 
also  off  the  ground ;  indeed,  I  begin  to  suspect, 
from  the  constant  disappointments  I  have  hith- 
erto met  with,  that  you  have  been  doing  so 
already." 

"  O  no,  papa ;  indeed  I  have  not,  for  you  do 
not"  lie  at  the  bottom  of  the  pit  with  two  great 
jaws,  and  suck  the  blood  of  the  poor  goats." 

"  No,  Leila,  it  is  not  quite  such  a  bloody  busi- 
ness, to  be  sure ;  our  intentions  with  regard  to 
the  goats  are  very  innocent  at  present,  whatever 
our  necessities  may  one  day  lead  us  to  do ;  but 
go,  my  love,  to  your  green  parlour,  and  remain 
with  nurse;  it  is  too  hot  for  you  to  attempt 
climbing  the  hill  to-day." 

"Then  why  should  you  go,  papa?  I  am 
sure  it  will  make  you  ill  too,  and  you  never  see 
a  ship,  although  you  go  every  day,  papa." 

"  Because,  my  love,  I  think  it  right  to  avail 
myself  of  every  possible  chance  of  making  our 
situation  known.  From  the  hill  we  see  all 
around,  and,  by  using  my  telescope,  to  a  great 
distance ;  and  were  I  to  discover  a  vessel,  I 

10 


110  LEILA. 

should  immediately  light  a  fire  on  the  top  of  the 
hill,  in  the  hope  that  either  that  or  the  flag, 
which  we  have  already  hoisted  there,  might  be 
seen.  In  short,  it  is  my  duty,  Leila,  to  make 
every  possible  effort  to  effect  our  removal  from 
this  island ;  the  rest  is  in  the  hands  of  God." 

"  O  papa,  I  should  be  so  sorry  to  go  away  I 
I  like  the  cave  and  my  green  parlour  so  very 
much ;  and  I  have  so  many  friends  here :  I  have 
you,  papa,  and  nurse,  and  my  four  white  hens 
and  my  cock,  and  Dash  and  Selina,  and  thirteen 
chickens,  and  my  two  white  rabbits,  and  my  two 
turtle-doves ;  and  then  I  have  my  family  of  little 
boys  and  girls, — Bob,  Harry,  and  Billy,  Fanny, 
Lucy,  and  Kitty.  Do  you  think,  papa,  that  the 
captain  would  let  me  take  all  my  birds  and  beasts 
into  the  cabin  with  me  ?}> 

"  Indeed,  Leila,  I  am  afraid  he  would  not." 

"  Then  I  should  not  like  to  go  away  at  all. 
How  sorry  my  little  boys  and  girls  would  be  I 
They  know  me  quite  well  now,  papa.  When 
they  see  me  come  out  in  the  morning,  they  come 
down  from  the  rocks  to  be  fed  ;  they  never  go 
far  away,  although  they  can  fly  quite  well.  And 
do  you  know,  that  this  morning  Fanny  came  up 
quite  close  and  hopped  upon  my  shoe,  and  then 
she  looked  up  in  my  face  and  laughed." 

"  Get  along,  you  little  fairy,"  exclaimed  Mr, 


LEILA.  Ill 

Howard ;  "I  am  sure  it  would  make  any  one 
smile  to  hear  you  run  on  in  this  way." 

Leila  sprang  from  her  father's  side,  her  light 
step  seeming  scarce  to  touch  the  ground  as  she 
flew  along :  and  before  Mr.  Howard  had  crossed 
the  rivulet  to  ascend  the  hill,  she  was  in  her 
green  arbour,  holding  her  rural  court  amidst  her 
little  favourites. 


112  LEILA. 


CHAPTER  IX. 

many  days  after  this  period,  Mr.  Howard 
and  Leila  continued  regularly  to  inspect 
the  pits  for  the  goats  every  morning,  but  met 
only  with  disappointment ;  and  the  little  girl's 
patience  was  almost  exhausted,  when  one 
morning,  having  as  usual  bounded  on  before 
her  papa,  she  fley  back  exclaiming, 

"  Come  quick,  papa,  come  quick,  for  I  am 
sure  something  has  happened.  The  branches 
have  been  disturbed,  I  am  sure  they  have; 
and  there  are  two  little  kids  stretching  their 
necks,  and  peeping  down  into  the  hole,  and  I 
do  believe  that  their  mamma  has  popped  in, 
and  they  are  wishing  to  go  to  her.  Do  come 
.quick,  papa;"  and  she  took  hold  of  her  papa's 
hand,  and  drew  him  along. 

Mr.  Howard  quickened  his  pace,  but  Leila 
was  not  satisfied. 

"  Papa,  are  you  ill  ?"  she  inquired. 

"  No,  my  love ;  what  makes  you  think  so  ?" 

"  Because  you  age  walking  so  slow,  papa — 
so  much  slower  than  you  used  to  walk." 


LEILA.  113 

"  You  are  mistaken,  Leila ;  it  is  your  own 
impatience  which 'makes  you  think  so ;  and  why 
should  you  hurry  on  in  this  way,  and  put  your- 
self out  of  breath  ?  it  will  make  but  the  differ- 
ence of  a  very  few  minutes." 

"But,  papa,  we  are  keeping  the  poor  goat 
waiting  for  us  so  very  long." 

"  Why,  Leila,  depend  upon  it,  the  poor  goat 
is  by  no  means  impatient  for  our  arrival ;  she 
will  not  be  much  pleased  when  she  does  see  us, 
I  fear." 

"  Will  she  not,  papa  ?"  I  am  sorry  for  that ; 
but  then  we  shall  be  so  very  kind  to  her  that 
she  will  soon  like  us,  and  I  will  play  with  her 
little  kids,  and  make  them  some  butter." 

But  the  little  kids,  not  being  aware  of  Leila's 
kind  intentions,  were  much  frightened  on  her 
approach ;  and  although  they  did  not  seem  to 
wish  to  go  any  great  distance,  they  ran  round 
and  round  the  pit  in  much  consternation,  and  it 
was  in  vain  that  she  attempted  to  secure  them 
• — they  eluded  her  grasp  with  the  greatest 
nimbleness. 

"Leave  the  poor  little  things,"  said  Mr. 
Howard;  "  I  do  not  wish  you  to  catch  them  at 
present.  I  am  glad  to  see  they  are  old  enough 
to  crop  the  tender  grass  which  is  around,  so 
there  will  be  no  fear  of  their  starving ;  but, 
Leila,  we  must  do  what  will  appear  to  you  very 
10* 


114  LEILA. 

cruel.  We  must  leave  the  poor  goat  without 
food  till  to-morrow  morning." 

"  0  papa,  why  should  you  do  that  ?  I  shall 
be  so  very  sorry  for  the  poor  goat." 

"  Because,  my  love,  it  is  the  only  method  we 
have  of  taming  it ;  the  kids  are  young,  and  will 
easily  be  reconciled  to  their  new  mode  of  life ; 
but  with  the  goat,  who  has  so  long  been  ac- 
customed to  ramble  about  at  large,  more  severe 
methods  are  necessary.  Were  we  to  attempt 
to  lead  it  home  now,  and  to  feed  it,  it  would 
make  strong  resistance;  but  by  to-morrow 
morning,  when  subdued  by  hunger,  we  shall 
probably  have  no  trouble  in  securing  it,  and  I 
have  no  doubt  it  will  gladly  take  its  food  from 
our  hands.  Now,  my  love,  let  us  proceed  to 
examine  the  other  pits,  for  the  goats  generally 
come  down  from  the  high  grounds  in  flocks, 
and  I  have  great  hopes  that  this  may  not  be 
the  only  prisoner  we  have  entrapped." 

Mr.  Howard  was  right,  for  although  the  two 
next  pits  were  empty,  in  the  fourth  they  found 
another  goat,  with  a  little  kid  by  its  side ;  the 
kid  was  lying  down,  and  the  goat  stood  over  it 
in  a  melancholy  attitude.  Mr.  Howard  seemed 
to  think  it  had  probably  been  bruised  by  its  fall, 
and  Leila  was  all  eagerness  that  her  papa 
should  go  down  into  the  pit  to  ascertain  the 
exact  nature  of  the  injury  it  might  have  re- 


LEILA.  115 

ceived:  but  this  he  declined  doing,  for,  01 
Dash's  sudden  approach,  the  little  kid  sprang  to 
its  feet,  and  although  lame,  it  evidently  was  not 
much  hurt. 

Dash  appeared  willing  to  have  taken  the  in- 
vestigation upon  himself,  and  .seemed  much 
inclined  to  leap  -into  the  pit;  but  Leila,  not 
quite  satisfied  with  the  nature  of  his  intentions, 
clung  round  his  neck  to  prevent  him ;  and  her 
papa,  terrified  that  they  might  both  roll  in  to- 
gether, gave  the  word  of  command  that  they 
should  follow  him,  and  was  instantly  obeyed. 

They  had  proceeded  but  a  few  yards,  when 
they  met  Selina  panting  and  out  of  breath  with 
the  exertions  she  had  made  in  searching  after 
them.  She  had  been  first  to  the  rice-grounds, 
and  then  to  the  green  parlour,  but  found  only 
nurse,  looking  so  stolid  and  sedate  as  to  offer 
but  a  tiresome  substitute  for  her  lively  little 
mistress. 

"  My  poor  Selina !"  exclaimed  Leila,  "  you  are 
too  late  to  see  the  goats  and  the  little  kids ;  how 
sorry  I  am  that  you  are  disappointed,  and  you 
look  so  tired  and  so  hot ;  but  you  shall  have  a 
ride  home  to  make  up  for  it.  Come  here,  Dash :" 
and  as  she  spoke,  she  placed  Selina  on  his  back, 
and  Dash  proceeded,  wagging  his  tail  and  in 
high  good-humour. 

"Look,  papa,"  she  continued,  "Dash  is  quite 


116  LEILA. 

accustomed  now  to  carry  Selina ;  see,  he  likes 
.  it,  for  he  is  wagging  his  tail,  and  she  does  not 
sneeze  at  him  now,  or  huff  or  put  up  her  back. 
They  like  one  another  very  much  now ;  I  have 
been  teaching  them  to  be  kind  friends,  for  every 
day  when  I  go  out  to  feed  all  my  animals,  my 
chickens,  and  my  turtle-doves,  and  my  rabbits, 
I  always  take  Dash  and  Selina  with  me,  and 
then  we  take  a  walk  together  to  the  rice-grounds 
or  to  the  green  parlour,  and  1  put  Selina  on  Dash's 
back  when  we  are  coming  home,  to  teach  him 
to  be  polite  and  kind  to  her.  I  am  glad,  papa, 
to  see  Selina  so  happy,  and  Dash  so  good.  I 
should  like  if  all  the  animals  in  the  world  were 
happy  and  good,  but  the  poor  goats  are  not 
happy.  When  I  am  eating  my  dinner,  I  shall 
always  be  thinking  they  have  no  dinner — it 
makes  me  sorry.  Are  you  sorry,  papa  ?" 

"  Yes,  my  love,  I  am  sorry  for  the  poor 
goats ;  but  you  know,  Leila,  we  are  doing  it  for 
their  good.  .We  are  punishing  them  in  this 
way,  that  they  may  be  more  happy  afterwards." 

"Yes,  papa,  and  that  is  what  you  tell  me 
God  does  to  us ;  he  punishes  us,  and  makes  us 
sorry,  that  we  may  grow  good,  and  be  more 
happy  after ;  but  then  we  know  that  God  is  al- 
ways there,  and  that  he  will  do  the  best  for  as, 
and  that  comforts  us ;  but  the  poor  goats  do 
not  know  about  God,  and  they  do  not  know 


LEILA.  117 

that  to-morrow  God  will  send  us  to  take  them 
out  of  the  pit,  and  bring  them  home  to  such  a 
pleasant  cave,  and  to  give  them  food.  I  wish 
they  knew  that  God  is  taking  care  of  them. .  I 
am  glad  I  am  not  a  goat  or  a  little  kid.  Is  this 
one  of  the  blessings,  papa,  that  I  should  be 
grateful  for?" 

"  Yes,  my  love,  you  should  be  deeply  grate- 
ful that  God  has  made  you  above  the  brutes 
which  perish,  that  he  has  given  you  an  immor- 
tal soul  capable  of  everlasting  happiness.  Think, 
Leila,  how  precious  in  the  sight  of  God  must  be 
that  soul.  Will  not  He  that  has  given  us  his 
own  Son  to  die  for  us,  freely  give  us  all  things  ? 
that  is,  Leila,  if  we  do  not  forget  God.'V 

"  But,  papa,  do  any  people  forget  God  ?  How 
can  they  forget  him,  when  all  the  things  in  the 
world  put  them  in  mind  of  God  ?  Do  they  not 
know,  papa,  that  he  made  every  thing?  and 
then  he  has  made  a  great  many  things  very 
beautiful.  They  should  look  at  the  green  trees, 
papa,  and  at  the  beautiful  clear  water  when  the 
sun  is  dancing  in  it.  If  they  were  to  sit  under 
the  fountain-tree,  they  would  not  forget  God; 
but  perhaps  they  have  not  a  fountain-tree  in 
their  country ;  but  they  have  flowers.  Have 
they  not  flowers  in  England,  papa  ?" 

"  Yes,  my  love — many  beautiful  flowers." 

"  And  does  not  that  make  them  think  about 


118  LEILA. 

God?  Do  they  not  knew  that  he  made  the 
flowers  ?  When  I  am  walking  with  Dash  and 
Selina,  I  am  always  gathering  flowers  and  put- 
ting them  together,  but  I  never  can  find  two 
the  same;  and  then,  when  I  sit  down  and 
spread  them1  all  out  on  the  grass,  it  makes  me 
think  how  wonderful  it  is  that  God  can  make 
them  all  different,  and  paint  them  all  so  beauti- 
fully, and  with  such  bright  colours.  I  did  a 
thing  yesterday — I  don't  know  if  you  will  think 
it  a  right  thing  for  me  to  do :  I  pulled  a  flower 
all  to  pieces,  that  I  might  see  if  I  could  put  it 
together  again ;  but,  papa,  I  could  not.  I  tried 
a  long  time,  but  I  could  not  get  a  single  leaf  to 
stand  upon  the  stalk,  they  always  fell  down ; 
so  I  threw  it  away,  for  I  was  sorry  to  see  it  de- 
stroyed. But  I  was  not  impatient  then,  papa ; 
for  I  said  to  myself,  Leila,  it  is  only  God  that 
can  make  the  flowers ;  he  has  made  them  all 
out  of  nothing,  but  Leila  cannot  make  even  one 
leaf.  So  then  I  came  home  to  tell  you  about 
it,  but  you  were  not  there,  and  I  wanted  to  go 
to  the  rice-grounds,  where  I  thought  you  would 
be  working ;  but  nurse  was  watching  for  me, 
and  she  caught  me  up,  and  sent  me  to  look  for 
half  an  hour  for  that  abominable  needle.  I  am 
sure  I  shall  never  throw  away  another  needle 
in  all  my  life. 

"Leila,  you  must  not  talk  in  that  way;  and  il 


LEILA.  11& 

this  daily  tasrc  which  nurse  has  imposed  on  you 
has  had  the  effect  of  making  you  more  patient^ 
and  also  of  your  resolving  to  be  more  careful  in 
future,  I  shall  think  your  half  hour  each  day 
has  been  very  usefully  employed." 

"More  patient,  papa!"  Leila  repeated  in  a 
low  voice,  while  the  colour  mounted  to  her 
forehead. 

"  Yes,  my  love ;  have  you  not  been  rather 
more  patient  of  late  ?" 

"  Not  yesterday,  papa ;  that  is,  not  when  nurse 
caught  me  up,  for  it  made  me  angry,  and  I 
spattered  the  sand  all  about,  and  kicked  it  up ; 
and  when  nurse  was  not  looking,  I  made  a  face 
at  her,  and  I  took  up  a  handful  of  sand  to 
throw." 

"  O  Leila,  my  child  I"  exclaimed  Mr.  Howard. 

"Now,  papa,  don't  look  frightened,  for  the 
end  was  good.  I  stopped,  papa ;  I  did  not  throw 
the  sand  at  nurse ;  I  put  it  down  quite  softly, 
and  I  smoothed  it  over  with  my  band,  more 
smooth  than  it  ever  was  before,  and  then  I  lay 
down  on  the  ground,  and  I  looked  for  half  an 
hour  for  the  needle,  and  in  all  my  life  I  never 
was  so  patient  before ; — so  you  see  it  was  a  good 
end.  Nurse  is  always  saying,  '  A  good  begin- 
ning commonly  makes  a  good  end ;'  but  it  was 
a  bad  beginning,  papa,  that  made  that  good  end ; 
but  I  see  nurse  watching  for  us,  and  I  must  run 


120  LEILA. 

and  tell  her  about  the  goats  and  the  kids.  How 
glad  she  will  be !  and  to-morrow  she  will  begin 
to  milk  them,  and  I  will  help  her.  Good-bye, 
papa,  I  wish  you  could  run  as  fast  as  Dash  and 
Selina  and  I ;"  and  in  a  minute  she  was  gone, 
followed  by  her  faithful  companions.  Nurse 
received  Leila's  intelligence  with  quite  as  deep 
an  interest  as  she  had  anticipated.  Various  were 
the  plans  which  they  arranged  together  during 
the  rest  of  the  day  for  the  management  of  their 
little  dairy,  and  they  both  retired  to  rest,  equally 
anxious  for  the  arrival  of  the  morrow. 


LEILA.  121 


CHAPTER  X. 

CURSE'S  dreams  were  of  milkpails  and 
churns,  Leila's  of  goats  and  little  kids ;  and 
when  in  full  pursuit  after  a  kid  of  milk-white 
appearance,  and  just  as  she  was  about  to  seize 
it,  she  awoke  in  breathless  agitation,  clasping 
the  pillow  to  her  breast. 

The  sun  had  been  some  time  risen,  the  sides 
of  the  cave  were  sparkling  in  its  bright  beams, 
and  from  the  open  casement  the  cool,  refreshing 
air  of  eaijly  day  had  been  for  some  time  fanning 
Leila's  cheek,  and  giving  elasticity  to  her  whole 
frame.  She  started  from  her  bed,  and,  with 
nurse's  assistance,  was  quickly  dressed. 

Mr.  Howard's  slumbers  had  been  more  pro- 
found, yet  he  too  had  had  his  morning  dream. 
He  fancied  himself  under  the  fountain-tree,  lis- 
tening to  the  gentle  murmur  of  the  running 
stream,  and  to  the  cooing  of  the  turtle-doves  in 
the  neighbouring  thicket.  Leila  lay  on  the 
grass  beside  him,  surrounded  by  the  brightest 
flowers.  "See,  papa!"  she  exclaimed,  "how 
n 


122  LEILA. 

beautifully  God  has  painted  them  all  for  us,  and 
how  sweet  they  smell  I" 

Mr.  Howard  opened  his  eyes;  Leila  stood 
bending  over  the  bed,  holding  a  nosegay  of 
bright  flowers  towards  him,  her  blooming  self, 
in  his  eyes,  the  brightest  flower  of  all,  and 
Heaven's  best  gift  to  him. 

"  I  knew  the  smell  of  the  flowers  would  awa- 
ken you,  dear  papa,"  she  exclaimed,  "and  I 
thought  it  would  be  a  pleasant  wakening." 

"  Yes,  Leila,  to  see  you  well  and  -happy  must 
always  be  a  pleasant  awakening  to  me." 

"  Papa,  I  think  I  am  always  well  and  happy ; 
but  do  you  know  that  in  the  morning  I  am 
mpre  and  more  happy,  for  then  I  am  expecting 
all  the  pleasures  of  the  day,  and  every  day,  here, 
we  have  so  many  pleasures!  But  this  is  the 
happiest  day  of  all,  for  this  is  the  day  the  little 
kids  are  to  come  home— the  dear,  darling,  de- 
lightful kids — are  you  not  very  happy,  papa  ? 
And  nurse  is  to  milk  the  goats — to  milk  the  goats, 
papa — only  think  of  that.  O  do,  do  get  up 
quick ;  think  how  hungry  the  goats  must  be." 

"  And  how  can  I  get  up  quick,  if  you  scram- 
ble up  upon  my  bed  in  this  way,  and  keep 
hanging  round  my  neck;  begone,  you  little 
fairy,  and  leave  me  to  my  toilet." 

"  I  am  begone,  papa,  and  good-bye ;  I  hope 
you  will  be  very  quick,  and  I  will  go  to  the 


LEILA.  123 

rocks  and  search  the  nests  for  eggs  for  break- 
fast, and  feed  my  hens  and  count  my  chickens  ;- 
and  that  will  keep  me  in  patience  till  you  come.*1 

As  soon  as  Mr.  Howard  had  dressed,  and  pray- 
ers were  over,  he  set  out,  accompanied  by  Leila 
and  nurse,  to  release  the  prisoners,  having  first 
taken  the  precaution  of  shutting  up  Dash  in  the 
outer  cave.  The  poor  goats,  who  were  found  in 
a  very  low  condition,  were  raised  by  means  of 
ropes  which  Mr.  Howard  had  brought  with  him 
for  that  purpose,  and  the  little  kid  which  had 
been  hurt  by  its  fall  was  carefully  placed  in  a 
basket,  and  committed  to  nurse's  care,  while 
Mr.  Howard  led  the  way  towards  hpme  with 
the  unresisting  goats,  and  Leila  followed,  leading 
the  two  little  kids,  which  were  tied  together, 
and  which  seemed  quite  as  anxious  to  follow 
their  mother  as  she  was  to  lead  them  on. 

It  was  a  distress  to  Leila  when,  on  arriving 
at  the  enclosure  prepared  for  them,  her  papa 
told  her  they  must  be  separated,  and  she  saw 
her  little  favourites  shut  into  a  smaller  space  of 
ground  set  apart  for  them ;  but  soon  her  whole 
attention  was  engrossed  by  the  long-expected 
pleasure  of  seeing  the  goats  milked  for  the  first 
time — an  operation  which  nurse  most  success- 
fully accomplished  as  soon  as  Mr.  Howard  had 
given  them  a  little  nourishment. 

It  would  be  difficult  to  describe  Leila's  de- 


124  LEILA. 

light,  when  a  bowl  of  milk,  still  warm  and 
covered  with  froth,  was  set  before  her  at  the 
breakfast-table. 

"  Papa,"  she  said,  "  I  should  like  to  give  more 
thanks  this  morning,  for  God  has  been  very 
gracious  to  us  about  these  goats.  First,  he 
made  these  goats,  then  he  led  them  into  the 
pit,  and  now  he  has  brought  them  home  to  us, 
and  given  us  the  milk." 

It  was  a  subject  of  deep  thankfulness  to  Mr. 
Howard  to  witness  the  increasing  growth  of 
religious  feeling  in  Leila's  young  heart.  Not  a 
day  passed  that  he  did  not  see  her  reading  her 
Bible  under  the  shade  of  some  green  tree  or 
projecting  rock,  and  many  beautiful  psalms 
and  chapters  she  had  got  by  heart.  From  being 
conversant  with  no  other  book,  her  language 
was  often  scriptural,  but  with  a  simplicity  and 
feeling  of  expression  which  made  it  extremely 
interesting.  Her  pure  pleasures  were  all  derived 
from  the  beauties  of  creation,  by  which  she  was 
surrounded :  to  her  the  noble  descriptions  in  the 
book  of  Psalms  were  as  so  many  living  pictures. 
"  The  fields  were  joyful,  the  little  hills  seemed 
to  laugh  and  sing,  and  all  the  trees  of  the  wood 
to  rejoice  before  the  Lord." 

In  conversing  with  her  father,  she  was  con- 
stantly led  to  raise  her  thoughts  from  creation 
to  the  Creator  of  all,  to  "  Him  who  layeth  the 


LEILA.  .125 

beams  of  his  chambers  in  the  "waters,  and 
maketh  the  clouds  his  chariot,  and  walketh  upon 
the  wings  of  the  wind."  In  her  admiration 
of  all  the  magnificent  objects  around  her,  she 
silently  acknowledged  his  power,  and  in  all 
the  innumerable  blessings  bestowed  upon  her 
she  felt  his  love.  Devotion  with  her  was  not 
an  occasional,  feeling,  or  a  set  form  of  words ; 
•t  was  a  simple  but  constant  lifting  up  of  the 
heart  to  Him  who  had  made  a  world  so  beauti- 
ful, and  placed  her  in  it. 

"  Will  you  look  at  this  sum,  papa,  and  tell 
me  if  it  is  right?"  exclaimed  Leila  next' morn- 
ing, as  she  finished  adding  up  a  long  list  of 
figures  which  she  had  traced  upon  the  sand. 
"  Do  look,  papa,  I  am  trembling,  trembling — 
I  hope  it  is  right." 

"  Yes,  my  love,  it  is  quite  right." 

"  Well,  I  am  so  glad !  for  you .  see,  papa,  I 
was  thinking  of  something  else  a  good  deal  of 
the  time." 

"Were  you,  Leila?  I  am  serry  to  hear  it, 
for  you  know  how  anxious  I'am  that  you  should 
endeavour  to  give  your  whole  attention  to  the 
subject  on  which  you  are  employed,  and  not 
,  allow  your  thoughts  to  wander.  I  never  keep 
you  long  engaged  at  a  time,  on  purpose  that 
you  may  give  me  your  whole  attention.  Wan- 
dering thoughts,  my  dear  child,  may  lead  you 
11* 


126  LEILA. 

into  very  grievous  sin,  for  if  indulged  in  at 
other  times  where  attention  is  necessary,  they 
will  also  intrude  when  engaged  in  your  higher 
duties.  You  will  be  praising  God  with  your 
lips,  Leila,  while  your  heart  is  far  from  him, 
and  in  this  way  become  guilty  of  breaking  the 
third  commandment,  by  taking  the  name  of  the 
Lord  your  God  in  vain.  Were  your  mind  to 
be  wandering  on  other  subjects  while  addressing 
me,  or  asking  any  favour  of  me,  I  should  be 
^seriously  displeased  with  you,  my  child;  but 
how  much  deeper  would  be  the  guilt,  were  you 
to  presume  to  address  your  heavenly  Father, 
1  who  is  of  purer  eyes  than  to  behold  iniquity,' 
while  your  mind  was  wandering  on  the  vain 
trifles  by  which  your  were  surrounded  ?" 

"  Papa,  I  will  try  not  to  think  of  other  things : 
.  and  I  do  try,  but  to-day  I  was  thinking  of 
something  that  I  wished  to  tell  you,  and  now 
that  my  lessons  are  over,  may  I  tell  it  you  ?" 

"  Certainly,  my  love." 

"  It  is  not  a  great  thing,  papa ;  but  it  is,  that 
nurse  is  preparing  a  surprise  for  you  at  dinner, 
and  I  am  going  to  tell  you  what  it  is." 

"  Then,  Leila,  if  you  tell  me,  it  will  not  be 
much  of  a  surprise,  I  think." 

"  No,  papa,  not  at  dinner,  but  now  it  will  be, 
and  I  asked  nurse  if  I  might  tell  you,  and  she 
said  I  might.  You  see,  papa,  the  thing  is,  that 


LEILA.  127 

I  like  to  tell  you  every  thing  that  is  good,  and 
every  thing  that  is  bad  I  like  to  tell  you. 
Nurse  says  it  is  a  great  event,  but  I  think  it  one 
of  the  kind  of  things  you  call  a  trifle." 

"  Well,  tell  me  now,  you  little  woman — I  am 
all  impatience  to  hear." 

"  It  is,  papa,  that  nurse  is  making  custards 
for  dinner  to-day." 

Mr.  Howard  smiled.  "  Well,  Leila,  you  are 
right — it  certainly  is  one  of  the  things  I  should 
sail  a  trifle.  However,  as  it  is  the  first  time 
you  have  had  custards  since  we  have  been  here, 
there  is  some  excuse  for  your  little  mind  wan- 
dering on  the  subject  rather  too  much." 

"  Yes,  papa,  it  is  because  it  is  the  first  time 
that  nurse  calls  it  a  great  event ;  for  she  says 
how  could  she  have  made  custards  before  of  the 
sea  water,  or  even  of  the  fountain  spring — they 
would  have  been  poor  trash ;  but  now  she  has 
the  goat's  milk,  and  she  is  to  make  them  so 
good,  she  says.  I  am  glad  I  have  told  you, 
papa,  that  you  may  have  the  pleasure  of  think- 
ing of  them  as  well  as  I,  for  I  like  you  to  have 
all  ray  pleasures,  both  my  great  pleasures  and 
my  little  ones,  for  you  are  my  papa,  and  my 
friend,  and  my  every  thing :  and  what  am  I  to 
you,  papa?" 

"  You  are  my  dearest  earthly  blessing,  Leila, 
and  still  more  dear  to  me  from  being  the  living 


128  LEILA. 

image  of  her  who  is  now  an  angel  in  heaven. 
When  your  beloved  mamma  was  taken  from 
me,  it  was  your  infant  smiles,  my  child,  next  to 
the  consolations  of  my  heavenly  Father,  that 
first  spoke  peace  to  my  sad  heart." 

"  Papa,  I  hope  God  will  not  take  you  away 
from  me  as  he  did  my  dear  mamma,  for  I  could 
not  bear  it.  If  nurse  were  away,  and  Dash  and 
Selina,  I  should  be  sorry ;  but  you  would  be  there 
and  you  would  comfort  me ;  but  if  you  were  to 
die,  papa,  I  should  not  care  for  any  of  them 
any  more — I  should  not  like  to  see  the  beautiful 
sun  rise,  or  the  golden  skies,  or  to  sit  under  the 
fountain-tree,  or  have  any  of  my  pleasures ;  I 
should  like  to  lie  down  in  my  green  bower  and 
shut  my  eyes,  and  never  open  them  again  till  I 
was  in  heaven  with  Jesus  Christ,  and  with  you, 
papa.  You  know  JesuS  Christ  took  little  chil- 
dren in  his  arms  and  blessed  them ;  how  happy 
I  should  be  if  he  took  me  in  his  arms  in  heav- 
en, and  blessed  me,  and  gave  me  to  you,  papa, 
'and  to  my  dear  mamma  ;  then  we  should  all  be 
angels  together  singing  his  praise ;  we  should 
never  die  any  more,  but  be  always  good  and 
always  happy." 

Mr.  Howard  was  for  some  minutes  too  much 
agitated  to  speak,  but  struggling  with  his  emo- 
tion he  said,  "  Yes,  my  beloved  child,  my  daily 
petition  is,  that  we  should  all  one  Jay  meet 


LEILA.  129 

around  the  throne  of  God,  never  more  to  be  sepa- 
rated ;  bat  it  must  be  his  will  that  must  be  done 
in  removing  us,  not  ours.  You  must  not  say, 
dear  child,  that  you  could  not  bear  any  event 
which  God  might  think  good  to  send  ;  he  would 
give  you  the  strength  to  bear  it,  and  be  more 
to  you  than  any  earthly  parent.  We  must  leave 
all  in  his  hands ;  he  only  can  make  all  work 
together  for  our  good ;  let  us  trust  to  him  en- 
tirely, for  he  is  that  support  which  can  never 
fail.  Our  daily  prayer  should  be,  that  we  may 
be  enabled  to  bless  his  holy  name,  equally  for 
what  he  gives,  what  he  takes  away,  and  what 
he  withholds.  Now  go,  my  little  girl,  home  to 
nurse,  for  I  mean  to  take  a  longer  walk  this 
morning  than  you  would  be  able  for,  and  when 
we  meet  at  dinner,  I  will  give  you  a  history 
of  my  travels,  and  tell  you  all  the  wonderful 
discoveries  I  have  made." 


130  LEILA. 


CHAPTER  XL 

I"  EIL A  sped  fearlessly  along  the  narrow  path- 
way which  overhung  the  cliff,  custom  now 
having  made  her  familiar  with  its  giddy  height. 
As  she  gained  the  end  of  the  chain  of  rocks, 
and  turned  the  point,  she  caught  sight  of  nurse 
at  a  distance,  who,  after  placing  something  with 
great  care  on  a  ledge  of  rock  close  to  the  en- 
trance, disappeared  again  into  the  interior  of  the 
cavern.  Leila  darted  forward,  exclaiming — 

"It  is  the  custards,  I  do  believe,  and  nurse 
has  filled  our  tea-cups  with  them — what  a  good 
contrivance." 

But  just  at  that  moment  one  of  the  white 
hens,  emerging  from  the  thicket,  flew  towards 
the  object  of  her  observation,  and,  before  Leila 
could  reach  the  spot,  buried  her  head  in  the  con- 
tents of  one  of  the  cups. 

"  You  lazy,  greedy,  abominable  hen !"  she  ex- 
claimed, "  get  out  with  you ;  you  give  us  hardly 
any  eggs,  and  now  you  would  steal  our  custards 
—get  away,  get  away !"  And  she  flew  after  the 
offending  hen  with  no  gentle  intentions.  Dash, 


LEILA.  131 

who  in  general  was  kept  in  strict  order  with  re- 
gard to  chasing  the  poultry,  'seemed  to  think 
that,  on  the  present  occasion,  he  might  venture 
to  follow  the  example  of  his  little  mistress ;  so 
joining  in  the  pursuit,  followed  also  by  Se- 
ll na,  the  luckless  hen  had  nothing  for  it  but 
to  take  wing,  and  flying  into  the  air,  she 
perched  the  next  moment  on  the  branch  of  a 
neighbouring  tree,  cackling  out  a  torrent  of 
wrath  and  indignation  on  her  discomfited  foes 
below. 

Leila  retraced  her  step::  io  the  rock,  and  stood 
for  a  moment  lost  in  admiration  at  the  taste 
nurse  had  displayed.  The  dish  which  contained 
the  custards  was  filled  with  green  moss,  the  four 
cups  were  inserted  in  it,  and  surrounded  with 
flowers ;  each  cup  had  a  gentle  sprinkling  of 
cinnamon  on  the  top,  which  greatly  heightened 
the  effect.  The  appearance  of  the  whole  was 
indeed  tempting  in  the  extreme ;  but  the  smell ! 
there  was  no  resisting  that.  Eight  years  old — 
that  dangerous  age  for  custards! 

"  0  how  good  they  must  be  1"  Leila  inwardly 
exclaimed;  "and  how  I  should  like  to  taste 
them  I  And  why  should  I  not  ?"  she  continued ; 
"  here  are  four  cups  full — we  cannot  eat  all  that 
at  dinner — why  should  I  not  have  a  little  now  ?" 
She  was  about  to  take  the  cup  into  her  hand, 
but  paused — "  Why  was  I  angry  at  the  hen  ?" 


132  LEILA. 

she  said  to  herself — "  I  said  it  was  greedy  to 
steal  the  custards,  and  what  am  I  wishing  to  do? 
No,  I  will  not  do  it."  She  turned  to  enter  the 
cave,  but  stopped  again  to  take  one  more  look. 
That  look,  how  much  did  it  increase  her  danger  1 
"  Here  is  one  of  the  cups,"  she  said,  "  that  the 
hen  has  quite  deranged;  the  cinnamon  is  all 
scattered  about  on  the  top — I  cannot  make  it 
worse  ;  surely  I  might  take  a  little  of  this  when 
the  hen  has  taken  it.  I  will  lift  it  very  gently ; 
but  how  my  hand  shakes  ! — why  does  it  shake? 
— how  provoking ! — there  now,  I  have  managed 
it  nicely."  The  cup  had  nearly  touched  her 
lips,  when  again  she  paused.  "  Is  this  stealing  ?" 
she  whispered  to  herself.  "  If  papa  were  at  a 
little  distance  looking  at  me,  would  I  do  this  ? 
And  is  not  God  always  seeing  me  ?"  She  gently 
replaced  the  cup,  and,  dropping  on  her  knees, 
she  clasped  her  little  hands  together,  and  raised 
her  eyes  to  heaven:  for  a  few  moments  she 
remained  motionless,  then  getting  up,  she  slowly 
entered  the  cavern. 

"  Nurse,"  she  said,  "  if  you  please,  I  will  look 
for  the  needle  now  for  half  an  hour." 

How  now,  Miss  Leila,  what  is  this?  You 
have  been  engaged  all  the  morning  with  your 
papa,  and  he  said  that,  after  lessons  were  over, 
you  might  amuse  yourself  and  walk  out  with 
Dash  and  Selina.  Here  is  Dash,  poor  fellow  ! 


LEILA.  133 

looking  up  at  you  now,  and  wagging  his  tail, 
quite  impatient  to  accompany  you." 

"I  am  sorry  Dash  will  be  disappointed," 
Leila  answered,  in  a  mournful  tone  of  voice ; 
"  but  I  would  rather  look  for  the  needle  now :  if 
there  is  any  more  time  before  dinner,  I  can 
walk,  and  if  not,  never  mind,  it  is  no  matter." 

Nurse  did  not  question  her  further;  she 
knew  that  Leila  was  in  the  habit  of  imposing 
some  restraint  upon  herself  at  those  times  when 
she  felt  dissatisfied  with  her  own  conduct,  and 
she  supposed  that  some  cause  for  self-reproach 
must  have  arisen. 

Leila  stretched  herself  upon  the  sand,  and 
Dash  venting  his  disappointment  in  a  few  short 
barks,  took  up  his  station  by  her  side.  Patiently 
and  in  silence  did  she  look  for  some  time,  but 
the  search  was  vain.  "Nurse,"  she  exclaimed 
at  last,  "I  do  believe  I  never,  never  shall  find 
that  needle." 

"  Indeed,  Miss  Leila,  I  think  so  too ;  and  as 
you  have  now  looked  for  it  so  long  a  time,  and 
really  patiently  for  you,  I  think  I  must  just 
make  up  my  mind  to  the  loss,  and  let  you  off 
now  with  your  penance." 

u  0  no,  nurse,  not  to-day — don't  let  me  off  to- 
day. And  do  you  know,  now  that  I  have 
looked  so  long,  I  am  so  interested  to  find  it,  I 
don't  know  if  I  should  like  to  give  it  up.  So  I 
12 


134  LEILA. 

will  look  to-day  and  to-morrow ;  and  the  next 
day  is  Sunday,  you  know,  our  day  of  rest — so 
it  is  on  Monday  you  should  let  me  off,  if  I  havfe 
not  found  it  before  that.  How  little  the  weeks 
are  here,  they  go  off  so  quick! — it  just  seems 
two  days  since  it  was  Sunday,  and  I  took  that 
long  walk  with  papa  which  interested  me  so 
much.  Don't  you  like  our  island  now,  nurse? 
I  dare  say  you  like  it  better  than  England 
now." 

"  Indeed,  Miss  Leila,  I  cannot  say  that ;  for 
I  have  many  friends  in  England  that  I  should 
like  very  much  to  see  again.  When  I  was  in 
England  I  often  had  a  friend  to  step  in  to  take 
a  sociable  cup  of  tea  with  me,  and  I  was  hoping 
all  the  voyage  that  I  should  soon  have  that  com- 
fort again  ;  but  it  will  be  long  before  any  friend 
of  mine  will  step  in  here :  I  may  put  on  my 
best  cap  and  lappets,  and  my  broad  cherry- 
coloured  ribbon  that  I  have  saved  with  such 
care ;  but  where  is  the  friend  that  will  tell  me 
here  that  I  am  just  looking  wonderful  for  my 
time  of  life,  and  that  a  better  cup  of*  tea  could 
not  have  been  made  by  any  lady  in  the  land  ? 
Oh!  but  those  were  happy  days,  Miss  Leila, 
and  my  heart  is  heavy  to  think  of  them." 

"  And  I  am  very  sorry  for  that  too,  nurse; 
but  then,  you  know,  I  like  the  island  because 
so  many  pleasant  things  are  here,  and  papa  » 


LEILA.  135 

here  to  take  a  sociable  cup  of  tea  with  me ;  but 
he  does  not  do  it,  for  he  says  sweet  things  are 
bad  for  me.  A  sociable  cup  of  tea  means  a  cup 
with  a  great  deal  of  sugar,  does  it  not?" 

"No,  Miss  Leila;  you  don't  understand  me 
the  least." 

"  Then  what  does  it  mean,  nurse?" 

"  Dear  me,  Miss  Leila,  how  am  I  to  make 
you  understand  a  sociable  cup  of  tea?  A  so- 
ciable cup  of  tea  is  just  a  cup  of  tea,  with  a  great 
deal  of  speaking  about  it." 

"  Then,  nurse,  papa  does  not  give  it  me,  for 
he  never  speaks  about  my  tea :  but  he  tells  me 
about  a  great  many  things  which,  are  interest- 
ing; and  then,  you  know,  I  have  my  other 
pleasures — my  beasts,  and  my  birds,  and  my 
trees,  and  my  trouts,  and  my  good  hens,  and 
my  bad  hens,  and  my — "  . 

"  0  Miss  Leila,  it  would  confuse  any  body's 
head  to  hear  you  run  on  in  this  way  1" 

"Well  then,  nurse,  I  will  not  speak  about 
my  happiness;  but  you  know  I  have  a  mis- 
fortune too — for  if  we  don't  go  to  England, 'I 
shall  never  see  my  little  cousins,  and  I  am  often 
sorry  when  I  think  of  that.  I  wish  you  could 
tell  me  more  about  them — I  like  to  hear  of  them 
BO  much.  What  sort  of  faces  have  they — are 
their  faces  like  yours,  or  like  mine  ?" 

"Dear  me,  Miss  Leila!  but  they  would  be 


136  LEILA.    . 

fearful  witches  if  they  were  like  me.  Would 
you  have  the  little  misses  to  have  wrinkled 
faces,  like  so  many  withered  apples,  and  spec- 
tacles on  their  noses  ?  No,  no  ;  their  faces  are 
more  like  yours  than  mine,  that's  certain.  But 
you  know  there  are  not  two  faces  the  same, 
which  is  a  most  wonderful  thing,  Miss  Leila, 
when  one  thinks  about  it." 

"Yes,  that  is  just  the  same  as  the  flowers; 
— I  never  can  find  two  flowers  the  same.  But 
has  not  every  little  girl  one  mouth,  and  one 
nose,  and  two  eyes  ?  how  then  can  they  be  dif- 
ferent?" 

"  I  can't  tell  you,  Miss  Leila ;  but  they  are 
different." 

"  0,  I  know  how  it  will  be,  nurse ;  I  fancy 
some  little  cousins  have  a  nose  going  west,  and 
some  have  a  nose  going  east,  and  one  eye  up, 
and  one  eye  down ;  that  would  make  them  dif- 
ferent, you  know." 

"  Different !  it  would  make  them  fearful  to 
look  upon,  poor  little  things !  But  here  am  I 
chattering  away  to  you  in  this  way,  and  for- 
getting that  I  have  the  rent  of  the  dinner  to  get 
ready."  And  nurse  was  just  about  to  pass  into 
the  outer  cave,  when  her  t  \eps  were  arrested  by 
a  joyful  exclamation  from  Leila. 

"The  needle!  the  needle!  nurse!"  and  she 
eagerly  darted  at  what  she  thought  the  long 


LEILA.  137 

hidden  treasure ;  but,  alas !  it  proved  to  be  only 
a  little  bit  of  a  slender  stalk  of  hay,  to  which 
some  of  the  sparkling  sand  had  adhered.  The 
heavy  sigh .  of  disappointment  which  Leila 
breathed,  went  to  nurse's  heart. 

"  Never  mind,  my  dear  child,"  she  said,  "  don't 
rex  your  little  heart  about  the  needle  any 
more ;  go  to  your  walk  now,  and  amuse  yourself." 

"  Just  in  a  few  minutes,  nurse,  I  will  go," 
Leila  answered,  for  a  sudden  thought  had  darted 
into  her  mind;  and  as  nurse  left  the  inner  cav- 
ern, she  got  up,  and  taking  a  needle  out  of  her 
pocket-book,  she  held  it  up  to  Dash,  then  point- 
ing to  the  sand,  exclaimed,  "  Seek,  Dash,  seek !" 

In  a  moment  his  nose  was  thrust  into  the 
sand,  which,  to  Leila's  infinite  amusement,  he 
kept  spattering  about  in  all  directions;  sud- 
denly he  uttered  a  quick  short  bark,  as  if  in 
pain,  and  tossing  up  his  head  in  the  air,  she  be- 
held the  needle  sticking  in  his  nose.  Snatching 
it  out  she  burst  into  a  peal  of  laughter.  Dash 
looked  up  in  her  face  in  astonishment,  and 
Selina,  springing  from  the  other  side  of  the 
cave,  leaped  on  his  back,  to  investigate  the 
matter  more  nearly,  while  nurse,  trotting  in  as 
fast  as  her  short  little  legs  would  permit  from 
the  outer  cave,  stood  in  the  midst  of  the  group, 
a  keen  partaker  both  of  Leila's  joy  and  merri- 
ment. 

12* 


138  LEILA.. 


CHAPTER  XII. 

TT  was  after  a  ramble  of  more  thaa  an  houi 

that  Leila,  on  returning  homo,  saw  her  papa 
at  a  distance,  and  ran  joyfully  towards  him,  ex- 
claiming, "  I  have  found  it !  I  have  found  it  1" 

"Found  what?"  asked  M^.  Howard. 

"  Found  the  needle,  papa." 

"  And  where  did  you  find  it,  my  love?" 

"  Sticking  in  Dash's  nose,  papa." 

"  In  Dash's  nose",  Leila?" 

"  Yes,  papa ;  was  it  not  such  a  good  thing 
that  it  came  into  my  head  ?" 

"  Into  your  head,  Leila?  Why,  you  told  me 
this  moment  it  was  in  Dash's  nose." 

"And  so  it  was,  papa;  but  you  make  me 
laugh  so,  I  can't  tell  you.  You  see,  papa,  the 
way  was  this — it  came  into  my  head  to  make 
Dash  look  for  it,  so  I  showed  him  a  needle  and 
bade  him  seek ;  and  0  how  he  spittered  and 
spattered  about  the  sand,  and  made  such  a  fuss ; 
and  then  he  tossed  up  his  head  with  a  bark,  to 
tell  me  the  needle  was  in  his  nose — and  there 
it  was  sticking.  The  excellent  good  dog,  papa, 


LEILA.  139 

to  make  a  needle-cushion  of  his  nose  for  me ! — 
not  a  pin-cushion,  you  know,  papa,  but  a  needle 
cushion ;  was  it  not  funny  ?" 

"  Indeed,  Leila,  I  do  think  it  was  very  funny ; 
and  what  other  strange  sight  is  this  we  have 
got  here ;  what  new  species  of  flowering  shrub 
is  this  springing  up  amongst  the  rocks  ?  Nurse 
seems  to  have  implicit  confidence  in  the  honesty 
of  your  four-footed  favourites,  Leila,  when  she 
could  leave  any  thing  so  tempting  within  their 
reach." 

Leila  coloured  deeply — she  placed  her  hand 
on  Mr.  Howard's  arm,  as  if  to  detain  him  from 
entering  the  cave ;  he  felt  that  she  trembled  ex- 
ceedingly. 

"  Leila,  my  child,  what  has  happened?" 

"  Papa,"  she  answered,  still  trembling,  "  do 
not  go  in  to  nurse  yet ;  stop  with  me  one  mo- 
ment ;  I  cannot  be  happy  till  I  have  told  you 
every  thing." 

-  And  she  did  tell  every  thing,  and  with  such 
perfect  openness  and  simplicity,  as  carried 
instant  conviction  to  Mr.  Howard's  mind  of  the 
truth  of  her  statement ;  for,  on  closer  obser- 
vation, he  had  observed  the  suspicious  appear- 
ance of  one  of  the  cups. 

"  And  0,  papa,"  she  exclaimed,  as  she  con- 
cluded, "  I  am  so  glad  I  did  not  do  it,  for  you 
would  have  been  so  sorry." 


140  LEILA. 

"  I  should  indeed  have  been  sorry,  ray  child ; 
and  had  you  yielded  to  this  temptation,  it 
might  have  led  you  into  other  grievous  sins — 
you  might  have  been  tempted,  Leila,  to  tell  an 
untruth  to  conceal  your  fault.  O  give  thanks 
to  God,  my  child,  for  his  having  given  you  his 
grace  at  that  moment  of  weakness,  which  alone 
enabled  you  to  act  as  you  have  done,. and  to  fill 
my  heart  with  joy  at  this  moment,  instead  of 
bitter  sorrow !" 

"Yes,  papa,  I  prayed  for  strength,  and  I  did 
not  feel  the  least  wish  to  do  that  wicked  thing 
after  that.  The  first  time  I  was  going  to  take 
it  I  did  not  pray,  I  only  said,  '  No,  I  will  not 
do  it ;'  and  then  I  turned  to  look  at  it  again, 
and  wished  to  take  it  more  than  ever ;  but  the 
second  time,  papa,  when  I  went  upon  my  knees, 
I  prayed  to  God  to  take  the  wickedness  out  of 
my  heart,  and  to  give  me  good  thoughts,  that  I 
might  not  wish  to  do  wicked  things  any  more ; 
tand  I  was  so  comfortable,  papa,  after  that,  that 
I  am  sure  he  heard  me." 

"  Yes,  my  dear  child,  God  is  ever  near  to 
help  those  who  in  sincerity  lift  up  their  hearts 
to  him.  At  first  you  were  trusting  in  your  own 
strength,  and  were  on  the  point  of  a  very  griev- 
ous fall.  But  remember  that  even  in  the  most 
trifling  things,  where  your  heart  condemns  you, 
if  you  yield  to  the  temptation,  forsaking  the 


LEILA.  141 

perfect-  -aw  of  God,  you  have,  like  Eve,  suffered 
the  wicked  spirit  to  beguile  you.  Do  not  sup- 
pose, because  it  seems  a  small  offence,  that  you 
are  free  from  the  charge  of  breaking  God's  law. 
Eve  only  took  the  fruit  from  the  tree  and  tasted 
it ;  but  God  had  said,  '  Of  the  fruit  of  this  tree 
thou  shalt  not  eat ;'  and  by  this  act  of  disobe- 
dience she  not  only  ruined  her  own  happiness, 
but  brought  a  curse  on  this  fair  world,  which 
has  already  occasioned  nearly  six  thousand 
years  of  sin,  of  sorrow,  and  of  death.  To  re- 
deem us  from  the  power  of  that  death  was  our 
Saviour  sent ;  but  it  is  only  in  heaven  that  war 
will  be  ended  in  a  glorious  victory  and  eternal 
peace.  Think,  my  child,  what  it  will  be  to  have 
no  more  fear  of  falling  into  sin,  no  bitter  tears 
of  repentance  to  shed,  to  dwell  for  ever  in 
the  unspeakable  happiness  of  God's  love,  to  be 
with  that  blessed  Saviour  who  has  loved  you 
from  the  beginning,  to  feel  yourself  pure  even 
as  he  is  pure,  your  whole  soul  filled  with 
his  glory,  your  whole  heart  overflowing  with 
his  praise.  O  Leila,  how  should  we  love 
Him  who  has  prepared  such  a  heaven  for 
us!" 

"  Papa,"  inquired  Leila,  as  they  entered  the 
cave  together,  "  what  is  that  you  have  got  in 
your  pocket-handkerchief,  which  is  slung  across 
your  shoulders  ?" 


142  LEILA. 

"  What  have  I  got  ?  why,  Leila,  you  must 
guess.  It  is  something  for  you — something,  you 
will  like  very  much,  I  think." 

"Shall  I,  papa?  Shall  I  like  it  as  well  as 
the  custards  ?  Does  it  taste  sweet  ?" 

"  Why,  my  love,  I  hope  you  will  not  insist 
on  ascertaining  that  point,  for  it  certainly  would 
not  be  improved  by  tasting ;  yet  I  trust  it  may 
turn  out  both  sweet  and  clever." 

"Clever,  papa?  What  can  it  be?  0  dear 
me,  I  do  believe  I  saw  it  move !  It  is  some- 
thing alive,  I  am  sure  it  is.  There  now !  it 
moved  again.  It  is  a  squirrel,  I  do  declare. 
No,  no,  it  is  not.  It  is  putting  out  its  little 
head,  and  it  is  the  head  of  a  bird — of  a  green 
bird,  papa." 

"  And  of  a  scarlet  bird,  Leila,"  continued  Mr. 
Iloward,  as  he  untied  the  handkerchief  and 
presented  her  with  a  beautiful  scarlet  and  green 
parrot. 

"A  parrot,  papa! — is  it  not  a  parrot?  O 
dear  me,  how  delightful !  and  just  what  I  was 
wishing  so  much  to  have — you  lovely,  beautiful 
bird !  And  I  was  wishing  to  eat  you ;  only 
think  of  Leila  wishing  to  swallow  you  up,  you 
dear  pet !  but  there  is  no  fear  of  that,  pretty 
creature;  only  I  am  so  happy,  I  don't  know 
what  to  do.  I  should  like  to  squeeze  you  to 
death,"  and  she  kissed  and  caressed  the  poor 


LEILA.  143 

little  frightened  bird  so,  as  really  to  put  its  life 
in  no  small  danger. 

"  Leila,"  interposed  Mr.  Howard,  "  you  must 
restrain  your  affection;  for  you  are  alarming 
this  poor  little  thing  exceedingly.  It  is  quite  a 
young  parrot,  so  it  will  not  be  difficult  to  tame ; 
but  feel  only  how  its  heart  is  fluttering  now. 
We  had  better  put  it  into  the  basket  while  we 
are  at  dinner ;  and  when  it  is  quieter,  then  we 
must  try  to  feed  it." 

"  Yes,  papa ;  and  then  I  will  begin  to  teach  it 
to  speak — I  will  teach  it  to  speak  both  English 
and  French,  and  I  will  begin  to-night." 

"  I  think,  my  love,  you  had  better  not  at- 
tempt those  serious  studies  for  some  days,  till  it 
is  more  accustomed  with  the  novelties  which 
already  surround  it.  Consider,  Leila,  it  is  in- 
some  respects  in  the  same  state  with  yourself—- 
it is  in  a  new  world,  and  it  has  never  seen  a 
little  girl  before,  nor  has  it  ever  seen  an  old 
gentleman  either ;  and  I  dare  say  it  is  frightened 
out  of  its  wits." 

"But,  papa,  you  are  not  an  old  gentleman; 
and  I  am  sure  you  could  not  frighten  any  body. 
I  am  not  the  least  frightened  for  you,  papa, 
when  you  are  teaching  me  my  lessons ;  indeed 
I  am  never  frightened  for  you,  I  am  always 
wishing  to  be  with  you ;  and  when  you  go  these 
long  walks,  I  am  so  impatient  for  you  to  come 


144  LEILA. 

back,  I  think  every  minute  that  you  are  coming, 
and  I  stand  still  to  listen  for  you  calling  '  Leila, 
Leila !'  0  how  glad  I  am  when  I  hear  '  Leila !' 
sounding  in  the  air !  and  it  comes  nearer  and 
nearer.  But  sometimes  I  do  not  see  you ;  for 
it  is  only  a  bird,  and  it  is  the  wind  which  has 
brought  the  sound.  How  pleasant  it  is  to  listen 
lo  the  sounds  which  the  wind  brings !  And 
often  I  think  I  see  you  a  far  way  off.  To-day 
I  thought  I  saw  you  sitting  down ;  but  when 
I  came  near,  it  was  only  a  stump  of  an  old 
tree." 

"  An  old  tree,  instead  of  an  old  gentleman ! 
Ah,  Leila,  Leila!" 

"  Now,  papa,  you  are  not  to  say  you  are  an 
old  gentleman,  for  you  are  quite  young.  But 
here  comes  our  dinner ;  I  am  very  glad,  for  I 
don't  think  I  ever  was  so  hungry  before." 

Nurse  was  much  gratified  by  the  approbation 
bestowed  on  the  second  course,  and  by  Mr. 
Howard's  assurances  that  no  custards  had  ever 
had,  to  him,  so  sweet  a  flavour.  Nurse  congrat- 
ulated herself  on  the  skilful  manner  in  which 
she  had  mixed  the  different  ingredients,  and 
Leila  felt  the  happy  consciousness,  that  both 
her  papa's  enjoyment  and  her  own  would  have 
been  very  different,  had  she  acted  otherwise 
than  what  she  had  done. 

"  And  now,  papa,"  she  said,  as  she  seated 


LEILA.  145 

herself  upon  his  knee  after  they  had  finished 
dinner,  "  tell  me  all  your  travels  and  all  your 
discoveries,  as  you  promised,  and  begin  at  the 
very  beginning." 

"  Why,  my  love,  the  beginning  was  not  so 
prosperous  as  the  end ;  I  walked  on  for  a  long 
wa}r  without  discovering  any  thing  new  which 
could  be  of  use  to.,  us,  and  at  last,  fatigued 
with  the  heat,  I  sat  down  under  a  tree.  I  soon 
became  sensible  of  a  pleasant  hum  of  bees  near 
the  spot  on  which  I  was  seated,  which  pro- 
ceeded from  the  stump  of -an  old  tree — not  the 
old  gentleman  you  met  with  in  your  rambles, 
Leila,  but  probably  his  elder  brother,  for  he 
was  a  very  old  stump  indeed,  quite  hollow  in- 
side, and  from  this  hollow  the  bees  were  flying 
merrily  out  and  in ;  and  on  nearer  inspection,  I 
could  discover  combs  richly  filled  with  honey. 
Those  combs  will  be  a  great  treasure  to 'us ;  but 
we  must  try  to  save  the  poor  bees,  and  also 
must  leave  them  sufficient  honey  to  support 
them  till  they  have  made  more.  I  have  a  pow- 
der in  the  medicine  chest  which  I  mean  to  burn 
close  to  the  hollow,  and  the  smoke  from  it  will 
put  the  bees  to  sleep  while  I  take  part  of  their 
honey  from  them." 

"  That  will  be  delightful ;  and  do  you  re- 
member about  the  goats?  Now  we  can  say, 
papa,  that  we  are  come  to  '  a  land  flowing  with 
13 


146  LEILA. 

milk  and  honey.'  I  wish  nurse  would  not  be 
like  the  children  of  Israel,  and  murmur." 

"At  what  does  nurse  murmur,  Leila?" 

"  She  murmurs,  papa,  about  a  sociable  cup  of 
tea,  with  a  great  deal  of  speaking  about  it ;  and 
she  says,  '  nobody  steps  into  the  cave  to  tell  her 
she  is  looking  well  for  her  time  of  life.' " 

Mr.  Howard  could  not  refrain  from  smiling ; 
but  he  represented  to  Leila,  that  poor  nurse 
certainly  had  a  great  trial  in  being  separated 
from  all  her  friends,  and  having  no  one  to  talk 
to. 

"But  she  has  me,  papa;  and  I  often  talk 
to  her  a  great  deal  indeed,  and  then  she  says 
I  deafen  her.  But  tell  me  what  more  discov- 
eries you  made?" 

"  Well,  my  love,  I  returned  to  the  tree  to  rest 
a  little  longer,  but  suddenly  the  pleasant  hum 
of  the  bees  was  lost  in  such  a  clatter  of  strange 
sounds,  as  made  me  start  to  my  feet ;  and  on 
entering  a  grove  of  trees  which  was  close  to 
where  I  was  seated,  I  saw  such  a  congregation 
of  monkeys  as  would  indeed  have  astonished 
you ;  and  some  were  leaping  up  and  down, 
others  sitting  upright  or  hanging  by  their  tails, 
and  all  grinning  and  chattering  in  a  frightful 
manner." 

"  O,  papa,  do  take  me  to  see  lbe;n ;  I  should  not 
be  the  least  afraid—  I  should  '.ike  so  much  to  go !" 


LEILA.  147 

"  Why,  my  love,  I  rather  think  it  is  too  far  for 
you  to  walk,  but  when  the  weather  becomes 
cooler,  I  will  endeavour  to  get  you  as  far  as  the 
grove  of  monkeys.  I  am,  however,  very  well 
pleased  that  they  are  at  such  a  distance  from  us, 
for  they  might  prove  very  unpleasant  neigh- 
bours." 

"  Then,  papa,  perhaps  you  would  not  like  me 
to  have  a  young  monkey?" 

"  Indeed,  Leila,  I  should  not.  I  like  to  see 
you  fond  of  your  different  pets,  and  to-day  you 
have  had  a  very  pleasant  addition  to  your  num- 
bers ;  but  a  young  monkey  would  soon  become 
the  plague  of  your  life ;  young  or  old,  they  are 
the  most  mischievous  creatures  in  the  world ;  they 
would  chase  your  hens,  worry  your  chickens  and 
your  beautiful  parrot,  and  fear  your  frocks  all 
to  pieces ;  poor  nurse  would  be  in  a  sad  state 
were  we  to  introduce  a  monkey  into  our  society." 

"Well  then,  papa,  I  don't  wish  to  have  a 
monkey  to  worry  my  chickens  and  my  beauti- 
ful parrot;  I  like  my  little  kids  much  better; 
to-day,  when  I  went  to  feed  them,  the  kid  which 
was  so  much  hurt  did  not  run  away  from  me. 
although  it  can  run  quite  well  now;  it  stood 
still,  and  ate  out  of  my  hand.  But  tell  me 
what  more  you  saw — what  did  you  discover 
next?" 

"  My  next  discovery,  Leila,  was  a  much  more 


148  LEILA. 

useful  one.  On  walking  a  good  deal  farther  on, 
I  came  upon  a  plantation  of  very  tall  reeds,  and, 
on  cutting*one  of  them,  I  discovered  them  to  be 
sugar-canes.  They  are  not  yet  ripe,  but  in  a 
very  short  time  some  of  them  will  be  fit  for 
gathering;  I  will  then  cut  them  into  small 
pieces  and  bruise  frhem,  that  the  sap  or  juice 
may  run  from  them,  and  we  must  boil  this  juice 
and  make  it  into  sugar.  Look  here,  Leila,  I 
have  brought  home  a  piece  of  cane  which  is 
almost  quite  ripe;  I  will  cut  it  again  at  this 
point,  that  the  j  uice  may  flow  out,  and  you  shall 
taste  it.  The  little  negro  children  in  the  West 
Indies  are  very  fond  of  sucking  the  sugar-cane ; 
they  got  quite  fat  at  the  time  the  sugar  is  ma- 
king, for  it  is  very  nourishing.  There  now, 
you  may  suck  that ;  how  do  you  like  it  ?" 

"  It  is  excellent,  papa — I  like  it  very  much 
indeed.  But  how  is  this  juice  made  into  sugar  ?" 

"By  being  frequently  boiled,  my  love;  the 
coarse  or  impure  parts  rise  to  the  top  when 
boiled,  and  this  scum  is  taken  off  as  it  rises,  tiU 
the  juice  becomes  clear ;  it  is  then  put  into  very 
shallow  wooden  vessels,  and  in  cooling,  the  su- 
gar separates  itself  into  grains  from  the  treacle, 
which  is  drained  off  from  it.  It  is  very  lucky 
for  us  that  the  canes  which  I  saw  to-day  are  in 
different  stages  of  ripeness,  for  we  can  manage 
to  make  very  little  sugar  at  a  time,  for  want  of 


LEILA.  149 

proper  vessels  to  boil  it  in  ;  and  the  whole  boil- 
ing must  be  done  in  a  day,  or  the  juice  would 
ferment  and  spoil — it  would  become  vinegar  in- 
stead of  sugar;  but  vinegar  also  will  be  of  use 
to  us;  so  that  altogether,  Leila,  I  am  much 
pleased  indeed  with  the  discovery  I  have  made. 
My  next  adventure  was  with  your  young  parrot ; 
very  probably  to-day  it  may  have  left  its  nest 
for  the  first  time,  for,  as  I  was  walking  towards 
home  it  suddenly  flew  down  from  a  tree,  and 
alighted  near  my  foot;  it  again  took  wing,  but 
it  could  not  rise  to  any  height  in  the  air,  but, 
after  pursuing  it  for  a  little  way,  it  became  ex- 
hausted, and  I  took  it  prisoner,  tied  it  up  in  my 
handkerchief,  and  brought  it  home  to  you." 

"  I  am  so  glad  you  brought  it  home,  papa,  for 
I  did  wish  so  very  much  to  have  a  parrot.  When 
it  is  able  to  speak,  will  you  let  it  sit  at  dinner 
with  us,  for  I  am  going  to  teach  it  to  be  very 
polite,  and  always  to  say,  '  A  little  more  meat, 
if  you  please,  Miss  Leila ;'  and  '  I  will  thank  you, 
sir,  for  a  glass  of  wine.'  0,  I  wish  I  had  been 
with  you  to  help  you  to  catch  it !  I  had  a  chase 
too,  papa ;  but  it  was  not  a  nice  chase,  after  a 
parrot  or  any  kind  of  bird.  I  saw  something 
white  flying  in  the  air  like  feathers,  and  I  ran 
after  it,  and  Dash  and  Selina  ran  too ;  we  ran, 
and  ran,  a  great  way,  and  at  last  it  alighted  on 
a  bash,  and  I  came  up  to  it  as  quickly  as  I  could  j 


150  LEILA. 

but  the  breeze  rose  and  carried  it  away  again  in 
the  air,  and  it  mounted  up  so  high  I  scarce 
could  see  it ;  then  down  it  came  again,  softly, 
softly;  and  I  caught  it  just  as  it  was  getting 
near  the  ground.  I  have  kept  it  to  show  to  you, 
papa,  for  it  is  like  cotton ;  but  how  did  cotton 
come  here?"  and  Leila,  as  she  spoke,  took  a 
small  tuft  of  cotton  from  her  breast. 

"  Why,  Leila,"  exclaimed  Mr.  Howard,  "  you 
also  have  been  fortunate  in  your  discoveries  to- 
day, for  it  certainly  is  cotton,  and  may  be  most 
useful  to  us.  This  seems  to  have  been  from  a 
cotton  plant,  which  is  a  finer  species  than  that 
which  the  tree  produces — which  way  did  you 
walk  to-day  ?" 

"  Beyond  the  fountain,  papa." 

"  Well,  my  love,  I  was  just  about  to  propose 
that  we  should  finish  this  pleasant  day  by  a 
short  walk ;  so  take  up  your  guitar,  and  we  will 
have  a  little  music  together  under  the  fountain- 
tree.  I  have  not  heard  you  sing,  ''Where  the 
bee  sucks,  there  lurk  I,'  or,  '  Come  unto  these 
yellow  sands,'  for  some  day  past.  There  is  not 
much  hope  of  meeting  with  any  cotton  plants 
by  the  way,  for  I  am  sure  I  should  already  have 
discovered  them,  had  they  been  so  near  us. 
The  wind  may  probably  have  carried  this  tuft 
of  cotton  from  a  distance,  but  to-morrow  I  shall 
try  to  discover  more  on  this  subject,  We  must 


LEILA.  151 

walk  in  the  same  direction  in  which  the  wind 
blew  to-day,  and  if  cotton  is  to  be  found  within 
our  reach,  I  will  make  a  distaff  both  for  you 
and  nurse,  that  you  may  spin  it  into  thread ; 
then  you  will  always  have  a  supply  for  mend- 
ing your  clothes,  and  will  also  be  able  to 
knit  more  stockings  when  required — you  have 
wires  in  your  workbox,  have  you  not  ?" 

"  Yes,  papa,  I  have  the  whole  easeful  of  wires 
which  were  sent  to  me  from  England ;  I  have 
not  lost  one ;  and  nurse  is  always  wishing  she 
had  cotton  to  work  more  stockings ;  so  she  will 
be  very  glad.  We  must  tell  her  the  good  news 
as  we  pass." 


152  LEILA. 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

IT  was  not  the  least  pleasant  hour  of  this 
pleasant  day  in  which  Mr.  Howard  sat  singing 
and  conversing  with  his  child;  and  as  Leila 
sang  to  her  guitar,  and  the  beams  of  the  setting 
sun  fell  on  her  youthful  countenance,  she  seemed 
so  nearly  allied  to  the  spirits  of  the  air,  that  her 
papa  suddenly  caught  his  own  Ariel  to  his 
breast,  as  if  anxious  to  ascertain  the  reality  of 
his  treasure. 

The  sun  had  sunk  into  its  bed  of  rest,  the  stars 
were  out,  and  still  they  lingered,  for  Leila  had 
always  some  remark  to  make,  or  question  to 
ask. 

"  Papa,"  she  said,  "  0  do  not  let  us  go  home 
just  yet,  for  it  is  so  pleasant  here.  The  sea- 
breeze  is  so  refreshing  when  it  comes  upon  our 
faces;  and  don't  you  like  to  hear  that  sweet 
sound  from  the  rivulet,  and  to  smell  the  flowers  ? 
— how  much  I  like  this  fountain-tree !  I  do  be- 
lieve it  is  the  most  delightful  tree  in  all  the 
world.  Do  you  think,  papa,  there  are  any  other 
fountain-trees  as  delightful  ?" 


LEILA.  153 

<(  Why,  my  love,  perhaps  you  might  not  think 
so,  but  you  know  that  it  is  we  ourselves  that 
have  given  it  this  name,  because  I  was  ignorant 
of  the  species  to  which  it  belonged  ;  but  there 
are  fountain-trees  in  different  parts  of  the  world, 
and  they  are  so  called  from  being  themselvea 
the  fountains  from  which  the  water  flows." 

"  How  very  curious,  papa !  but  how  can  that 
be?" 

"  The  most  remarkable  of  those  trees,  Leila, 
of  which  I  have  read  an  account,  is  said  to  grow 
in  one  of  the  Canary  Islands,  and  is  so  large  aa 
to  furnish  the  chief  supply  of  water  to  all  the 
inhabitants  and  cattle  of  the  island.  Its  leaves 
are  large,  and,  coming  out  in  constant  succes- 
sion, are  always  green.  A  thick  mist  rises 
every  morning  from  the  sea,  which  is  driven  by 
the  breeze  against  the  rocky  cliff  on  which  this 
tree  is  situated  ;  and  this  heavy  mist  falling  on 
the  thick  leaves  of  the  tree,  distils  into  water 
during  the  day,  just  as  you  have  seen  the  rain 
dropping  from  a  tree  after  a  heavy  shower ; 
but  this  fountain-tree,  having  wide-spreading 
branches,  distils  such  a  quantity  of  water,  that 
two  large  cisterns  are  dug  at  the  side  of  it,  in 
which  the  water  is  collected.  One  of  these  cis- 
terns is  for  the  people,  the  other  for  the  cattle ; 
and  a  person  is  employed  to  give  out  the  water. 
He  is  paid  so  much  yearly  for  doing  so,  and  a 


154  LEILA. 

house  is  appointed  for  him  to  live  in  close  to 
the  tree." 

"  If  we  had  not  this  rivulet,  papa,  which  is 
BO  useful  to  us,  then  we  should  be  very  glad  to 
have  one  of  those  trees.  But  I  like  our  own 
fountain-tree  much  better,  with  those  beautiful 
grapes  hanging  down  from  it,  and  no  drops  of 
water  to  come  upon  us,  to  make  us  uncomfort- 
able." 

"Yes,  Leila,  we  are  indeed  peculiarly  fa- 
voured; we  are  surrounded  with  blessings 
which  should  call  forth  the  deepest  thankful- 
ness. Here  we  are  cast  upon  this  pleasant  land, 
where  there  are  no  wild  beasts  to  devour  us, 
no  venomous  serpents  to  make  us  afraid.  A 
table  has  been  richly  furnished  for  us  in  the 
wilderness  ;  and,  amidst  refreshing  streams  and 
clear  fountains,  we  know  nothing  of  the  misery 
the  weary  traveller  must  experience,  who  is 
wandering  on  those  burning  shores,  where  no 
rain  falls  for  months  to  refresh  the  earth,  and 
where  there  are  no  clear  springs  or  running 
streams  to  bless  his  sight.  Think,  Leila,  what 
it  must  be  to  him,  when  worn  with  fatigue  and 
parched  with  thirst,  to  meet  with  one  of  those 
dropping  trees,  or  fountain  plants." 

"  And  are  there  fountain  plants,  papa,  as 
•A  ell  as  trees  ?" 

"Yes,  my  love,  there    are   different   plants 


LEILA.  155 

which  contain  a  considerable  supply  of  wafer; 
there  is  one  in  particular,  a  sort  of  wild  pine 
which  grows  in  Jamaica,  which  contains  from 
a  pint  and  a  half  to  a  quart  of  water;  it  is  a 
parasitical  plant,  which  means  a  plant  growing 
upon  another.  The  seed  has  long  woolly 
threads,  and,  when  carried  away  by  the  wind, 
it  sticks,  by  means  of  those  threads,  to  the 
branches  of  the  trees,  and  generally  takes  root 
on  some  part  of  the  stem.  The  leaves  of  this 
plant  are  thick  and  long,  they  rise  up  from  the 
roots  in  folds,  one  within  another.  In.  these 
folds  the  water  collects,  and  when  the  reservoir 
is  full,  they  close  at  the  top,  so  that  the  water 
is  not  dried  up  by  the  sun.  The  weary  travel- 
ler knows  this  plant  well ;  he  strikes  his  knifo 
into  the  •  leaves  just  above  the  roots,  and  the 
clear  water  rushes  out,  to  his  joy  and  comfort." 

"  How  very  good  God  is,  papa  1  he  contrives 
every  thing  so  well :  always  -now,  when  I  sit 
under  this  tree,  I  will  be  grateful  to  Him  thai 
we  are  not  weary  travellers,  but  have  this  beau- 
tiful fountain  beside  us,  and  are  never  parched 
with  thirst.  Are  you  going,  papa?  I  am  so 
sorry !" 

"  Yes,  my  child,  the  moon  has  now  fully 
risen.  We  shall  have  a  delightful  walk  komft 
by  its  silvery  light." 

in  pleasant  talk,  and  in  constant  employnv.^ 


156  LEILA. 

the  weeks  and  months  passed  swiftly.  The  first 
crop  of  Indian -corn  and  rice  was  gathered  in, 
and  it  was  now  part  of  nurse's  employment 
daily  to  grind  a  portion  of  each  in  the  rice-mill 
which  Mr.  Howard,  in  his  first  successful  trip  to 
the  wreck,  had  brought  back  with  him.  Two 
additional  goats  had  been  added  to  their  little 
flock ;  and  a  churn,  which,  although  rather  of 
rude  workmanship,  was  found  to  answer  ex- 
tremely well,  was  a  great  acquisition  to  nurse's 
dairy  arrangements.  Churning  the  butter  was 
rather  too  laborious  an  employment  for  Leila, 
but  she  was  often  heard  singing  in  the  morning 
while  assisting  nurse  in  milking  the  goats,  and 
in  making  cakes  of  the  rice-flour  or  Indian 
corn.  She  was-  extremely  successful,  and  her 
papa's  breakfasts  were  greatly  improved  by  her 
morning  exertions.  She  rose  with  the  dawn, 
and  as  soon  as  prayers  were  over,  the 'goats 
were  milked.  Her  next  care  was  to  feed  the 
poultry  and  her  numerous  pets,  who  were  now 
all  on  the  most  affectionate  terms  with  each 
other :  hens,  chickens,  turtle-doves  and  wood- 
pigeons,  all  flocked  around  Leila,  as  she  issued 
from  the  cave,  and  Dash  generally  took  his  sta- 
tion in  the  midst  of  them,  looking  benevolently 
all  around.  Selina  was  not  quite  so  great  a 
/a vourite ;  the  feathered  race  treated  her  with 
respect,  but  with  less  of  that  affectionate  famili- 


L  E  I  L A .  157 

arity  with  wliich  Dash  was  greeted,  for  little 
chickens  stepped  fearlessly  up  and  down  on  his 
broad  back,  and  turtle-doves  nestled  between 
his  ears.  The  parrot  was  a  great  trial  to  Selina, 
for  she  proved  to  be  a  forward  bird,  presuming 
somewhat  too  much  on  the  favour  of  her  little 
mistress ;  and  when  she  would  brush  up  against 
Selina  in  the  morning,  fluttering  her  gay  wings, 
and  exclaiming,  "  Breakfast  if  you  please,  I  am, 
a  pretty  creature," — the  indignant  Selina  would 
look  very  much  as  if  she  would  gladly  hav» 
laid  those  gay  feathers  in  the  dust. 

But  to  return  to  Leila  and  her  morning 
duties. 

The  poultry  being  fed,  she  would  visit  the 
nests,  bring  in  the  fresh  eggs  for  breakfast, 
arrange  the  cups,  and  place  a  plate  of  honey- 
comb and  another  of  grapes  upon  the  table. 
Then,  while  nurse  churned  sufficient  butter  for 
daily  use,  Leila  would  tie  on  her  little  white 
apron,  tuck  up  her  sleeves,  and  busy  herself  in 
baking  the  rice-cakes  for  breakfast.  Her  daily 
lessons  took  place  immediately  after,  and  during 
the  rest  of  the  forenoon  she  either  walked  with 
her  papa,  amused  herself  in  her  green  bower, 
or  worked  in  her  little  garden,  for  her  papaliad 
fenced  in  for  her  a  small  portion  of  ground  near 
to  the  entrance  of  the  cave,  into  which  Leila 
had  transplanted  a  profusion  of  the  most  beau- 


158  LEILA. 

tiful  flowers ;  a  portion  of  the  rock  formed  the 
upper  fence  to  this  garden,  and  against  it  were 
placed  a  couple  of  bee-hives  and  a  green  turf 
seat;  and  here  would  she  -often  pass  an  hour 
with  her  distaff  watching  the  bees,  for  she  had 
assisted  her  papa  in  making  the  hives  for  them, 
and  she  took  the  keenest  interest  in  all  their 
proceedings.  In  the  use  of  the  distaff  she  was 
not  jet  particularly  expert ;  nurse  made  heavy 
complaints  that  Miss  Leila's  thread  was  either 
too  thick  or  too  thin,  and  that  no  two  inches 
were  alike.  The  gathering  in  the  cotton  had 
been  a  great  amusement  to  her ;  Mr.  Howard 
had  found  the  cotton  plant  growing  in  tolerable 
abundance  at  no  great  distance  from  the  foun- 
tain-tree, and  to  prepare  it  for  spinning  had 
formed  one  of  Leila's  in-door  occupations  dur- 
ing the  rains,  which  for  the  space  of  six  weeks 
had  continued  to  fall  in  the  early  part  of  each 
day. 

"  It  now  wanted  but  a  short  period  of  their 
having  been  a  year  on  the  island,  and  during 
•all  that  time  no  trace  of  pther  human  beings 
had  been  discernible  on  the  broad  land,  or  on 
the  wide  sea.  It  seemed  as  if  the  flowers 
bloomed  beneath  their  feet,  the  trees  blossomed 
and  bore  fruit,  and  all  had  been  created  in 
beauty  for  them  alone.  Mr.  Howard  felt  the 
warmest  gratitude  for  the  many  alleviations 


LEILA.  -159 

which  attended  their  separation  from  the  rest  of 
the  world,  but  still  there  were  moments  of  deep 
depression  for  which  he  severely  chid  himself. 
When  he  looked  at  Leila  in  her  youth  and  in 
her  helplessness,  and  felt  that  a  moment  might 
deprive  her  of  his  protecting  arm  and  fostering 
care,  it  required  all  the  unquestioning  faith  of 
the  Christian  and  the  courage  of  the  man  to 
meet  her  with  that  cheerfulness  with  which  he 
always  wished  to  greet  her  approach.  She, 
dear  child,  knew  no  care ;  constantly  with  her 
father,  loving  him  with  all  the  ardour  of  her 
young  affections,  the  weeks  and  months  brought 
to  her  but  an  increase  to  her  enjoyments,  as  she 
advanced  in  age,  and  became  more  capable  of 
appreciating  their  value. 

Her  ninth  birth-day  now  drew  near;  it  had 
formerly  been  a  day  to  which  she  anxiously 
looked  forward ;  but  Leila  knew  she  was  now 
^far  removed  from  the  possibility  of  receiving 
dolls  or  books,  or  any  of  her  former  presents ; 
still  she  was  not  without  a  vague  hope  that 
some  pleasure  was  intended  for  her,  for  nurse 
had  looked  particularly  mysterious  and  impor- 
tant of  late,  and  on  her  approach  had  always 
hurried  her  work  out  of  sight,  complaining 
that  Miss  Leila's  footstep  was  so  light  she  never 
heard  her  coming,  and  no  sooner  was  she  gone 
than  she  found  her  at  her  elbow  again.  Leila 


160  LEILA. 

saw  that  her  presence  was  not  desired,  and  kept 
out  of  the  way ;  but  it  struck  her  that  her  papa 
also  at  times  seemed  to  shun  her  society,  and 
that  on  different  occasions,  although  absent  for 
a  couple  of  hours,  he  had  given  her  no  account 
of  the  nature  of  his  occupations.  These  were 
strange  circumstances;,  but,  on  the  day  on 
which  she  completed  her  ninth  year,  they  were 
pleasantly  accounted  for. 

Early  in  the  morning  of  that  day  she  awoke, 
and  found  nurse  standing  by  her  bedside :  she 
held  a  pretty  little  gipsy  hat  in  one  hand,  and 
in  the  other  a  new  dress  for  Leila.  This  dress 
was  the  rabbit-skin  frock  so  much  wished  for : 
it  was  of  gray  fur,  turned  up  with  white ;  the 
hat  was  made  of  palm-tree  leaves  plaited  to- 
gether :  it  was  tied  down  with  a  cherry-coloured 
ribbon,  and  a  wreath  of  bright  scarlet  and  green 
feathers  formed  the  trimming.  Leila  at  first 
felt  almost  afraid  that  her  dear  parrot  must  have 
suffered,  but  on  turning  towards  her  bird,  it 
fluttered  its .  gay  wings,  anfl  flew  towards  her, 
exclaiming,  "  I  am  a  pretty  creature,"  and  pre- 
sented a  breast  of  unruffled  beauty.  Leila  felt 
a.pang  of  remorse  for  having  even  half  suspected 
her  good  old  nurse.  She  threw  her  arms  round 
her  neck,  exclaiming,  "  You  are  very  kind  to 
me — and  to  give  me  your  beautiful  cherry- 
coloured  ribbon  -too !  O,  I  will  try  to  be  very 


LEILA.  161 

patient,  and  not  vex  you  any  more !"  Leila's 
good  resolutions  were  made  in  sincerity  of 
heart,  yet  they  were  on  the  point  of  giving  way, 
even  before  her  toilet  was  completed. 

"  Make  haste,  0  do  make  haste,  nurse !"  she 
exclaimed,  "  and  tie  that  string  of  my  frock — 
quick,  quick,  and  let  me  off  to  my  papa ;"  and 
seizing  her  gipsy  hat,  she  stuck  it  on  one  side 
of  her  head,  and  was  gone  in  a  moment. 

Mr.  Howard  fondly  embraced  and  blessed 
his  child,  and  both  the  pretty  hat  and  new- 
dress  were  admired  exceedingly.  "My  dear 
little  gray  squirrel,"  he  said,  "  how  glacl  I  am 
the  weather  is  now  so  much  cooler,  that  you 
will  be  able  to  enjoy  your  new  diess.  You 
must  tell  nurse  that  I  think  she  has  succeeded 
admirably,  and  that  I  hope  her  next  work  will 
be  a  fur  coat  for  me." 

As  soon  as  breakfast  was  over,  Leila  was  im 
patient  to  walk  out  with  her  papa,  and  tying 
on  the  new  gipsy  hat,  she  said,  "  Now,  papa,  I 
am  quite  ready,  and  as  this  is  to  be  a  holiday, 
I  hope  you  will  take  me  a  longer  walk  than  I 
have'ever  gone  before." 

"Perhaps,  my  love,  you  would  prefer  a 
drive.  At  what  hour  shall  I  order  your 
carriage  ?" 

"  My  carriage,  papa !  what  is  it  you  mean  ?" 

"  T   mean  simply   at  what  -  hour   does  Miss 
14* 


162  LEILA. 

Howard  wish  her  carriage  to  be  at  the 
door?" 

"  Directly,  papa — I  wish  it  directly.  And 
now,  how  will  you  make  it  come  ?" 

Mr.  Howard  left  the  cave ;  Leila  was  about 
to  run  after  him,  when  nurse  detained  her. 

"  Now,  Miss  Leila,"  she  said,  "  you  must  go 
back  and  sit  down.  When  young  ladies  order 
their  carriage,  they  do  not  run  out  to  the  stables 
to  see  it  getting  ready,  but  they  sit  quietly  in 
their  drawing-rooms  till  they  are  told  it  is  at 
the  door ; — so  sit  down  in  that  chair,  and  be 
patient.  Kemember  your  promise." 

"  I  do,  nurse,  I  do  remember  my  promise ; 
but  indeed  you  must  let  me  dance  with  my  feet 
a  little,  for  that  keeps  me  more  patient  than 
any  thing." 

Mr.  Howard  entered — "Miss  Howard,  your 
carriage  waits." 

Leila  sprang  to  the  door:  it  was  a  carriage 
certainly,  and  a  more  elegant  little  open  car- 
riage of  light  wicker-work  than  that  into  which 
Mr.  Howard  handed  the  delighted  Leila  could 
scarcely  be  imagined.  The  handsomest  anti  the 
most  tractable  of  the  goats  he  had  trained  to 
draw  it :  all  was  complete,  even  to  the  reins  of 
twisted  cotton,  which  nurse  had  contrived  to 
dye  a  bright  blue  with  the  leaves  of  a  plant,  from 
which  her  master  had  informed  her  the  indigo 


LEILA.  163 

was  made.  The  joy  of  this  surprise,  and  the 
happiness  of  this  ninth  birth-day  were  Idng 
remembered  by  Leila '-with  gratitude  and 
pleasure. 

"  And  now,  my  child,"  inquired  Mr.  Howard, 
"  to  what  corner  of  the  island  shall  we  direct 
our  course  ?  Is  there  any  particular  spot  you 
would  like  to  visit?" 

"Yes,  papa,  there  is  a  place  I  should  like 
very  much  to  see.  Do  you  remember  that  day 
when  you  said,  '  Leila,  it  is  too  far  for  you  to 
walk ;  but  when  the  weather  becomes  cooler,  3 
shall  try  to  get  you  as  far  as  the  grove  of 
monkeys?'  I  remember  it  well,  for  I  have 
been  often  thinking  about  it,  and  now  the 
weather  is  cooler,  and  I  have  this  most  beauti- 
ful carriage  of  my  own,  so  I  need  not  walk — 
eh,  papa?" 

Mr.  Howard  gave  a  willing  assent  to  Leila'a 
proposal.  Placing  the  bright  blue  reins  in  one 
hand,  and  a  nice  little  whip  in  the  other,  the 
word  of  command  was  given  ;  the  obedient  goat 
set  forward  at  a  brisk  pace,  and  the  happy  party 
proceeded  towards  the  monkeys'  grove.  Much 
was  Leila  amused  and  delighted  with  the  scene 
she  witnessed  there.  The  monkeys  seemed 
to  have  a  more  than  common  flow  of  talk  on 
this  occasion;  they  grinned  and  chattered,  and 
scolded  each  other  in  a  most  ludicrous  manner ; 


164  LEILA. 

one  of  them  had  a  little  one  in  its  anus,  which  it 
dandled  and  caressed  as  a  nurse  would  have 
done  a  baby ;  when  suddenly  it  gave  it  such  a 
slap  in  the  face  as  made  the  poor  little  thing 
yell  with  pain.  Another  monkey  flew  to  revenge 
this  insult  offered  to  the  little  one,  and  spring- 
ing upon  the  mamma,  gave  her  in  return  such  a 
box  on  the  ear  as  would  have  thrown  her  to  the 
ground,  had  she  not  clung  by  the  tail  to  the 
branch  on  which  she  had  been  seated,  still  hold- 
ing the  little  one  in  her  arms. 

Leila  -was  much  amused  with  this  scene. 

"  0  papa !"  she  exclaimed,  as  they  were  re- 
turning home,  "  how  very  much  I  wish  I  had  a 
little  monkey  ;  a  little  one  would  not  do  much 
mischief,  I  am  quite  sure.  May  I  have  one, 
papa?  Will  you  say  yes ?  I  know  when  you 
are  going  to  say  yes,  for  I  see  it  first  in  your 
eyes,  and  then  when  it  comes  down  upon  your 
lips,  it  makes  me  so  Jiappy — it  makes  me  feel 
as  if  a  little  bird  had  flown  into  my  breast.  But 
I  do  not  see  it  in  you  eyes  now,  papa.  Are  you 
going  to  say  no,  though  it  is  only  a  little  mon- 
key?" 

"  Yes,  my  child,  I  am  going  to  say  no  ;  I  am 
always  sorry  to  disappoint  you,  Lelia,'  but,  old 
or  young,  they  are  disagreeable,  mischievous 
animals,  and  I  have  already  told  you  that  I  dis- 


LEILA.  165 

approve  of  your  having  a  monkey ;  so  I  regret 
that  you  should  have  asked  it  again." 

"Yes,  papa,  I  am  sorry  too,  and  I  will  tell 
you  how  it  was  :  when  you  said  steadily  I  was 
not  to  have  a  monkey,  I  tried  to  put  it  out  of 
my  head,  yet  I  wished  for  it  very  much ;  fh- 
deed,  it  is  a  vexing  thing.  Do  you  think  it 
will  ever  pass  away  ?" 

"  What  is  it  that  is  to  pass  away,  Leila?" 

"  The  feeling,  papa,  of  wishing  so  much  for 
what  I  am  not  to  have.  You  don't  know  how 
much  I  wish  for  a  thing  when  you  say  no. 
Sometimes  I  wish  for  it  more  than  ever ;  that 
is  what  is  vexing.  Do  you  think  it  will  pass 
away?" 

"  Alas,  my  dear  Leila,  the  feeling  with  which 
you  are  now  struggling  is  one  of  the  many 
proofs  of  the  imperfection  of  our  nature,  and  it 
is  only  God  who  can  give  you  strength  to  com- 
bat with  such  inclinations;  and  this  assistance 
you  will,  I  trust,  more  constantly  implore  as 
you  advance  in  years,  and  become  more  sen- 
sible of  your  own  weakness." 

"  Papa,  you  often  say  that  when  I  have  more 
experience  I  will  not  wish  for  so  many  foolish 
things.  Do  you  think  I  shall  have  experience 
about  monkeys  when  I  am  old,  and  think  them 
mischievous  and  disagreeable  ?" 

"  Yes,  Leila,  I  have  no  doubt  that  you  will 


166  LEILA. 

acknowledge  that  they  are  both  mischievous 
and  disagreeable,  when  you  yourself  are  a  little 
more  under  the  dominion  of  reason." 

"  The  dominion  of  reason,  papa  I  Is  that  a 
better  dominion  than  Queen  Elizabeth's  ?  You 
know  I  did  not  like  her  at  all." 

Mr.  Howard  smiled.  "  Your  mistake,  Leila, 
is  a  very  good  reproof  to  me  for  not  having  ex- 
pressed myself  as  simply  as  I  ought  to  do  when 
conversing  with  you.  I  meant  only,  that  as 
you  advanced  in  years  your  reason  would 
strengthen,  and  you  would  not  be  so  much  car- 
ried away  by  your  wishes.  For  instance :  had 
you  not  been  so  much  a  child  as  you  are  now, 
you  would  have  exerted  your  reason  on  this  oc- 
casion, and  have  said  to  yourself,  '  My  papa  is 
wiser  than  I  am,  and  must  know  better,  so  I 
will  trust  to  his  experience  on  this  subject.'  " 

"  And  have  you  had  experience  about  mon- 
keys, papa  ?  I  did  not  know  that." 

"  Yes,  my  love,  I  have." 

"Then  you  will  tell  me  about  it?  that  will 
be  so  delightful !  and  make  it  a  good  long  story, 
if  you  please." 

"  Why,  Leila,  I  have  not  a  great  deal  to  say 
bo  you  on  the  subject ;  I  can  only  tell  you  that 
my  younger  sister  had  the  same  desire  which 
you  have  to  possess  a  monkey.  She  had  been 
taken  to  see  an  exhibition  of  wild  beasts  where 


LEILA.  167 

there  were  'several  monkeys,  and  after  that  it 
became  the  height  of  her  ambition  to  have  one 
as  her  own  property.  A  gentleman  who  was  a 
constant  visitor  at  our  house,  was,  about  to  sail 
for  the  West  Indies  at  the  time,  and  hearing  my 
sister  frequently  express  this  desire,  he  kindly 
promised  to  send  back  a  monkey  for  her  by  the 
captain  of  the  ship.  My  father  and  mother  rep- 
resented to  her,  as  I  have  done  to  you,  that 
they  were  mischievous  animals,  and  by  no  means 
pleasant  inmates  of  a  family  ;  but  Maria  would 
not  be^sonvinced ;  she  assured  them  she  would 
watch  over  her  monkey,  and  give  it  such  in- 
struction that  no  mischief  could  happen.  So,  in 
the  idea  that  this  little  girl  would  soon  learn  by 
experience,  permission  was  granted,  and  in  a 
few  months  a -most  droll  little  creature  made  its 
appearance.  At  first  it  was  a  great 'amusement 
in  the  nursery,  both  to  nurses  and  children  ;  and 
as  my  sister  led  it  about  almost  constantly  in  a 
chain,  no  mischief  for  the  first  week  was  com- 
mitted, beyond  the  cotton  reels  being  picked  out 
of  nurse's  workbox,  and  the  cotton  being  wound 
round^and  round  its  little  feet,  till  it  became  in- 
capable of  moving,  and  so  rolled  over  on  its  side 
on  the  carpet,  chattering  and  grinning  in  a  man- 
ner which  almost  killed  Maria  with  laughing. 
Nurse,  however,  looked  rather  grave  at  this  first 
exploit ;  and  Maria's  mirth  was  soon  turned  to 


168  LEILA. 

woe  when  her  own  most  favourite  possessions 
next  became  the  sport  of  this  animal's  love  of 
mischief.  Maria's  godmother  had  sent  her  a 
present  of  a  beautiful  set  of  little  china  cups  and 
saucers  on  her  birthday,  and  her  delight  in 
making  tea  in  them  for  the  first  time  to  the 
whole  nursery  party  was  very  great  indeed. 
Master  Monkey  had  a  chair  placed  for  him  at 
the  table ;  he  looked  about  with  the  greatest 
satisfaction,  and  seemed  particularly  pleased 
when  Maria  held  a  cup  of  tea  to  his  lips,  and 
prepared  a  little  piece  of  bread  and  butter  for 
him.  A  small  case  with  glass  doors  was  fitted 
up  in  a  corner  of  the  nursery,  in  which  my  sister 
kept  her  treasures ;  and  as  soon  as  the  cups  and 
saucers  were  washed,  they  were  nicely  arranged 
in  this  case,  and  looked  so  pretty,  that  she  was 
still  standirfg  gazing  at  them  with  admiration, 
when  the  bell  rang  for  the  children  to  go  down 
stairs.  Maria  had  often  been  told  never  to  leave 
this  case  open ;  but  in  her  hurry  to  get  to  the 
dining-room  had  forgot  to  lock  it ;  and  nurse, 
supposing  that  my  sister  had  chained  up-  the 
monkey  as  usual  in  the  next  room,  went  out  to 
walk  with  the  baby,  and  the  nursery  was  left 
empty.  In  about  half  an  hour  after,  Maria 
tvas  sent  up  stairs  for  a  book  which  her  papa 
wished  to  see;  but  what  was  her  horror  and 
iismay  when,  on  entering  the  nursery,  she 


LEILA.  169 

found  the  monkey  seated  at  the  table,  with  the^ 
cvhole  beautiful  tea-set  arranged  before  him.  He 
held  one  of  the  delicate  little  cups  in  his  paw, 
and  as  Maria  entered,  he  grinned  and  chattered 
with  delight,  and  pretended  to  drink  out  of  it. 
My  sister  had  a  ball  in  her  hand,  and  in  her 
anger  and  astonishment  she  threw  it  at  him, 
upon  which  the  enraged  animal  not  only  re- 
venged himself  by  throwing  the  cup  at  her, 
which  was  broken  in  a  thousand  pieces,  but, 
leaping  upon  the  table,  he  overset  the  whole 
tea-service,  which  the  next  moment  lay  in  frag- 
ments on  the  ground." 

"  O,  papa,  how  dreadful !  What  did  your 
little  sister  do?" 

"  Why,  Leila,  she  wept  most  sadly ;  and  not 
the  less  bitterly  that  she  felt  she  had  herself 
alone  to  blame.  She  recalled  to  mind  all  she 
had  been  told  of  the  spirit  of  mischief  in  those 
creatures,  and  she  also  felt  that  had  she  been 
less  careless,  had  she  chained  up  the  animal  as 
she  had  faithfully  promised  to  do,  or  had  she 
remembered  her  mamma's  injunctions  to  lock 
the  glass  case,  and  keep  the  key  in  her  pocket, 
nothing  of  all  this  could  have  happened." 

"  And  was  the  monkey  sent  away,  papa?" 

"  No,  not  on  this  first  occasion ;  Maria  en- 
treated so  much  that  a  longer  trial  might  be 
permitted,  that  my  father  and  mother  gave  their 
15 


170  LEILA. 

consent ;  but  it  was  not  long  before  my  poor 
little  sister  had  cause  to  regret  the  rash  confi- 
dence she  had  placed  in  her  treacherous  friend. 
Maria's  kind  godmother,  hearing  of  the  sad  fate 
of  the  birthday  present,  sent  her,  a  few  weeks 
after,  a  very  pretty  silk  pelisse  and  bonnet.  The 
box  had  just  been  unpacked,  when,  on  the 
arrival  of  forenoon  visitors,  my  sister  was. de- 
sired to  take  those  precious  articles  up  stairs, 
and  hang  them  in  her  wardrobe  in  her  own 
room,  till  my  mother  was  at  leisure  to  bestow 
proper  admiration  upon  them.  But  Maria 
thought  there  was  no  good  reason  why  she 
should  not  admire  them  herself  a  little  more, 
before  they  were  consigned  to  their  place  of 
safety;  so  dressing  herself  in  the  beautiful 
pelisse  and  bonnet,  she  stood  for  a  few  minutes 
before  the  glass,  regretting  much  that  no  one 
but  Master  Monkey  (who  stood  making  grima- 
ces in  a  corner  of  the  room)  was  present  to  par- 
take her  pleasure.  Soon  afterwards  she  went 
into  the  garden,  and  my  mother,  having  dis- 
missed -her  visitors,  proposed  to  join  her  there. 
As  she  passed  through  the  shrubbery,  her  atten- 
tion was  caught  by  a  slight  rustling  amongst 
the  branches  of  a  large  tree  under  which  she 
was  passing ;  and  looking  up,  what  was  her 
astonishment  and  vexation  to  see  Maria,  as  she 
believed,  dressed  out  in  her  new  pelisse  and 


LEILA.  171 

bonnet,  perched  upon  one  of  the  highest  branches 
'  Maria,'  she  exclaimed  in  terror,  '  how  came  you 
there.  Don't  move,  I  entreat  you ;  don't  stir 
till  I  get  your  father's  assistance.'  Startled  by 
her  voice,  the  object  on  which  she  gazed  gave  a 
sudden  spring,  and,  caught  by  the  pelisse  on  a 
projecting  branch,  hung  suspended  in  the  air  by 
this  slender  hold.  My  mother's  scream  quickly 
brought  my  father  to  her  assistance,  for  he  had 
been  proceeding  to  join  her  in  the  garden ;  and, 
flying  forward  to  save  his  child,  he  caught  in 
his  arms,  not  the  expected  Maria,  but  the  grin- 
ning, chattering  monkey.  My  poor  little  sister, 
who  had  also  heard  the  fearful  scream,  flew  to 
the  spot  at  this  moment ;  and  deep  was  her  dis- 
tress when  she  saw  how  much  her  dear  mother 
had  been  alarmed,  and  how  materially  the 
beautiful  new  pelisse  and  bonnet  had  suffered. 
She  no  longer  now  objected  to  the  mischievous 
animal  being  dismissed,  and  it  was  at  her  own 
earnest  request  that,  next  morning,  it  was  sent 
to  a  person  who  kept  a  menagerie,  to  be  exhib- 
ited amongst  his  other  wild  beasts.  And  now, 
tny  cMld,  we  must  hasten  home :  for  it  is  the 
Jinnei  hour,  and  nurse  must  have  long  been  ex- 
pecting us;" 


172  LEILA. 


CHAPTER  XIY. 


*  nurse,"  exclaimed  Leila,  one  morning; 
as  soon  as  the  lessons  were  over,  "  I  am 
not  to  walk  with  papa  to-day,  for  he  says  he  is 
going  too  far  ;  so  sit  down  with  me  in  this  nice 
green  seat  in  my  garden,  and  let  us  converse. 
Do  you  see  those  flowers  ?  I  am  sure  you  never 
saw  such  beautiful  flowers  before.  Only  look 
at  that  one  with  the  pink  blossoms  just  peeping 
out  among  the  green  leaves  ;  it  never  comes  out 
any  further,  so  I  call  it  Mary  Queen  of  Scots  ; 
for  it  is  so  beautiful,  and  it  is  in  a  prison  ;  and 
that  one  that  is  so  pale  is  Lady  Jane  Grey  :  and 
do  you  see  that  scarlet  one  so  fierce,  and  with 
such  a  big  head?  That  is  Queen  Elizabeth.  I 
have  called  all  the  flowers  after  the  kings  and 
queens  papa  tells  me  about.  Do  you  like  to 
hear  about  them,  nurse  ?  I  can  tell  you  a  great 
many  more." 

"  No,  Miss  Leila,  I  cannot  say  that  I  do.  It 
was  not  the  fashion  in  my  young  days  for  such 
as  me  to  be  taken  up  about  any  other  kings  and 
queens  than  what  we  read  about  in  the  Bible  ; 


LEILA.  173 

I  had  enough  uj  do  to  milk  the  cows,  and  help 
to  make  the  butter,  and  carry  the  chickens,  and 
eggs,  and  the  nosegays  to  market." 

"  Well,  then,  we  won't  speak  about  the  kings 
and  queens,  if  yqu  don't  like  it ;  but  do  not  go 
away  so  quick ;  I  wonder  how  you  like  to  go 
away  so  soon.  You  never  sit  down  to  have  a 
good  long  talk  with  me ;  you  are  always  trot- 
trotting  about" 

"  And,  Miss  Leila,  if  I  were  not  to  be  trotting 
about,  as  you  call  it,  but  chose  to  sit  on  my  seat 
like  a  fine  lady,  what  sort  of  a  room  would  your 
father  have  to  sit  down  in,  or  a  dinner  to  eat,  01 
a  bed  to  lie  upon  ?" 

"  Then,  nurse,  I  never  will  say  again  that  you 
trot,  since  you  don't  like  me  to  say  it ;  and  we 
will  not  speak  about  kings  and  queens,  but  I 
will  tell  you  something  else,  which  papa  told  me 
this  morning,  about  ants,  which  I  think  you  will 
like,  for  it  is  very  curious.  You  know  I  told 
you  before  about  the  ants  building  houses  with 
rooms  and  nurseries,  and  how  active  they  are 
in  doing  a  great  deal  of  work ;  but  do  you  know 
that  there  are  ants  as  bad  as  can  be? — they 
fight,  and  they  steal,  and  they  don't  like  to  work 
at  all." 

"  Then,  Miss  Leila,  I  think  it  would  be  better 
if  they  kept  trot-trotting,  and  got  through  their 
work  without  stealing ;  but  what  do  they  steal  ?" 


174  LEILA. 

"  They  steal  slaves  to  work  for  them ,  and  I 
will  tell  you  how  they  do  it.  Mr.  Huber  found 
it  out ;  but  do  you  know  about  Mr.  Huber  ?" 

"  No,  Miss  Leila,  I  never  heard  of  him." 

"  Well,  I  don't  know  about  hjm  much ;  I  only 
know  that  he  had  a  blind  papa,  who  knew  a 
great  deal  about  bees ;  and  he  himself  has  writ- 
ten very  curious  things  about  ants :  he  says  that 
there  are  ants  which  are  not  busy,  and  yet  they 
like  to  be  comfortable.  They  call  them  legion- 
ary ants ;  it  is  a  curious  name.  Papa  said  it 
over  and  over,  so  I  remember  it ;  will  you  try  ?" 

"  Yes,  Miss  Leila,  I  will  do  what  I  can ;  but 
it  is  not  easy  for  such  an  old  woman  as  I  to  learn 
all  the  fine  things  which  your  papa  thinks  it 
right  to  teach  you ;  nor  would  it  be  in  any  way 
proper  that  I  should;  but  tell  me  about  the 
slaves  they  get  to  work  for  them ;  I  should  like 
to  know  about  that." 

"  "Well,  I  am  going  to  tell  you.  The  legion- 
ary ants,  which  are  the  thieves,  are  of  a  light 
colour — they  are  as  strong  and  as  brave  as  they 
can  be — they  can  sting  very  terribly,  so  that 
they  make  a  grand  battle ;  but  then  they  are 
lazy  about  work,  so  they  steal  away  another 
kind  of  ant,  of  a  dark  colour,  which  they  call  a 
negro  ant,  to  work  for  them.  The  negro  ant  is 
patient  and  industrious,  and  has  no  sting.  It 
was  Mr.  Huber  who  first  found  out  about  the 


LEILA.  175 

slaves.  He  was  walking  near  Geneva,  whore  he 
lived,  and  he  saw  a  great  number  of  the  legion- 
ary ants,  thousands  and  thousands  of  them,  and 
he  called  it  an  army.  They  crossed  the  road 
and  crept  through  the  hedge  into  a  field,  and  he 
followed  them  a  long  way,  till  they  came  to  a 
nest  of  negro  ants.  Some  of  the  negroes  were 
walking  up  and  down  guarding  the  holes  into 
their  nests,  and  they  were  in  £  great  fright ;  I 
fancy  they  knew  about  the  legionary  ants  being 
cruel  thieves  and  coming  to  steal  their  little  chil- 
dren, and  they  all  ran  into  the  nest  to  tell  the 
bad  news  and  to  get  more  ants  to  fight,  and  the 
little  young  ants  kept  in  their  nurseries.  I  don't 
know  if  they  hid  themselves,  papa  did  not  tell 
me  that ;  but  I  dare  say  they  were  trembling, 
trembling.  Then  the  strong,  negro  ants  all 
rushed  out,  and  the  battle  began — it  was  a 
dreadful  battle ;  the  legionary  ants  got  up  upon 
their  hind  legs,  and  so  did  the  negro  ants,  and 
they  seized  each  other  with  their  claws  and 
fought  together  :  sometimes  they  both  fell,  roll- 
ing on  the  ground,  but  they  did  not  let  go ;  they 
fought  and  they  spat  on  each  other  till  they 
scrambled  up  again.  Did  you, ever  hear  any 
thing  so  dreadful  as  their  spitting  on  each  other? 
I  nev^r  thought  there  was  such  terrible  wicked- 
ness in  all  the  world  as  that.  Our  ants  here 
don't  spit  on  each  other ;  I  wonder  if  the  ants 


176  LEILA. 

in  London  spit.  You  know,  nurse,  it  is  to  Lon- 
don we  are  to  go  if  we  leave  the  island,  but  I 
hope  we  shall  not  leave  it.  And  now  I  must 
tell  you  the  rest  of  the  story.  The  legionary 
ants  were  so  strong  that  they  conquered  the 
negroes ;  then  they  mounted  up  the  side  of  the 
ant-hill;  some  of  them  went  in  at  the  little 
doors  that  were  made,  and  others  went  stamping 
and  ramping  about,  and  tore  other  holes  with 
their  teeth,  and  so  they  all  got  in  ;  and  nobody 
knows  what  they  said,  or  how  they  found  out 
the  nurseries,  but  in  a  very  little  time  they  came 
out  again,  and  every  one  of  them  had  a  little 
negro  ant  in  its  mouth,  and  off  they  scampered 
as  fast  as  could  be,  and  Mr.  Huber  after  them. 
When  they  came  to  their  own  nest,  he  was  in  a 
puzzle,  for  he  saw  a  good  many  large  negro  ants 
walking  about,  watching  for  them.  He  thought 
at  first  they  had  come  to  fight  them  for  stealing 
their  little  children ;  but  they  came  up  to  the 
legionary  ants  quite  kind,  and  brought  them 
food  and  caressed  them.  How  could  they  caress 
them,  I  wonder  ?  How  funny  it  must  have  been 
to  see  the  ants  kissing  each  other  I  Then  the 
old  negro  slaves  took  the  little  negroes  "from  the 
legionary  ants,  and  carried  them  away  to  their 
new  nurseries.  Mr.  Huber  says,  the  old  negro 
slaves  must  have  been  carried  away  also  when 
they  were  young,  and  so  they  were  quite  accus- 


LEILA.  177 

tomed  to  live  with  the  legionary  ants,  and  liked 
to  work  for  them." 

"  Indeed,  Miss  Leila,  this  is  the  'most  extra- 
ordinary story  I  ever  heard  in  all  my  life.  And 
in  what  way  do  they  work  for  them  ?" 

"  O,  they  do  every  thing  for  them.  The  legion- 
ary ants  could  wojik  very  well  if  they  liked,  but 
they  won't  do  it.  Mr.  Huber  put  some  of  them 
into  a  glass  box,  with  their  little  children,  and 
gave  them  earth  to  build  nurseries,  and  honey 
to  feed  them.  At  first  they  worked  a  little,  but 
they  had  no  patience ;  they  were  not  at  the  trou- 
ble even  to  take  their  own  food,  and  in  two  days 
half  of  them  died.  So  then  he  put  one  negro 
ant  into  the  box,  and  the  good  little  slave  began 
to  work  immediately.  It  made  a  chamber  and 
a  nursery  with  the  earth,  and  gathered  all  the 
young  ones  into  the  nursery,  and  made  it  com- 
fortable for  them ;  and  it  fed  the  old  ants,  and 
put  them  into  their  own  room,  and  kept  every 
thing  in  order  for  them.  He  did  another  curious 
thing  to  try  them ;  he  broke  down  one  of  their 
hills,  and  destroyed  some  of  their  chambers  and 
galleries  ;  the  legionary  ants  were  in  the  greatest 
fuss  and  quite  bamboozled,  and  they  wandered 
about  with  broken  hearts,  and  did  not  know 
where  to  go  ;  but  the  negroes  comforted  them, 
and  understood  much  better,  and  they  found  out 
ihe  galleries  and  chambers  that  were  not  de- 


178  LEILA. 

stroyed,  and  took  the  legionary  ants  in  their 
mouths,  and  carried  them  into  them.  Some  of 
them  were  not  quite  so  clever  and  lost  their  way, 
then  they  put  down  their  masters  very  gently 
on  the  ground,  and  ran  about  till  they  found  a 
room,  and  they  took  them  up  again  and  brought 
them  into  it.  One  of  the  negro  ants  found  a 
lump  of  earth  near  the  entrance  of  a  gallery — he 
could  not  get  in  for  it,  so  he  put  his  master  down, 
and  I  fancy  he  said,  '  Sir,  you  will  please  to  be 
patient,  and  I  will  come  back  for  you,'  for  his 
master  lay  quite  still,  and  the  slave  got  another 
slave  to  help  him ;  and  they  pushed  and  kicked 
the  lump  of  earth  away,  then  he  came  back  and 
took  up  his  master,  and  carried  him  to  the  room 
quite  safe.  I  think  this  is  all  papa  told  me,  and 
is  it  not  a  very  wonderful  story  ?" 

"  You  may  well  say  so,  Miss  Leila ;  and  I  am 
sure  the  patience  and  activity  of  these  little 
negro  creatures  may  be  an  example  to  us  all." 

"  Yes,  that  is  what  papa  says,  and  I  am  try- 
ing as  much  as  I  can  to  be  patient.  But  now, 
nurse,  I  have  told  you  a  story,  and  surely  you 
will  tell  me  something  too.  I  wish  you  would 
tell  me  something  you  did  when  you -were  a 
little  girl.-  You  were  a  little  girl  once,  you 
know." 

"  Yes,  miss,  and  not  so  very  long  ago,  neither." 

"Not  long  ago;  I  thought  you  were  a  very 


LEILA.  179 

old  woman ;  a  great  deal  older  than  my  papa ; 
you  have  spectacles  on  your  nose;  my  papa 
never  has  spectacles,  and  he  sees  quite  well." 

Nurse  hastily  removed  the  spectacles,  as  she 
answered  in  a  tone  of  considerable  displeasure, 
"  Miss  Leila,  it  is  by  no  means  civil  to  call  any 
body  old  because  they  may  put  their  spectacles 
on  at  a  time  just  to  save  their  eyes — not  that  I 
am  calling  myself  a  very  young  woman,  that 
would  not  be  the  truth  either;  but  when  you 
come  to  be  my  age,  you  may  be  obliged  to  wear 
spectacles  too,  if  your  eyes  are  as  tender  by 
nature  as  mine  have  ever  been  since  I  was  a 
young  thing  in  my  mother's  cottage." 

Leila  took  the  old  woman's  hand  within  both 
hers,  (there  were  some  suspicious  wrinkles  on  it 
certainly,)  and  pressing  ij;  kindly  she  said, 
"Nurse,  I  never  knew  that  your  eyes  were 
tender  by  nature,  and  that  you  were  not  old; 
but  I  will  ask  papa  to  give  you  some  medicines 
to  make  you  see  well;  and  now  will  you  tell 
me  something  you  did  when  you  were  a  little 
girl ;  had  you  ever  any  little  cousins  just  your 
own  age  ?" 

"  Yes,  Miss  Leila,  I  had  a  little  cousin ;  she  i& 
an  old  woman  now,  but  many  is  the  time  I  think 
of  her,  and  well  should  I  like  to  see  her  again, 
for  she  saved  me  from  doing  what  would  have 
been  grief  to  me  all  my  life." 


180  LEILA. 

"  0  tell  me  about  it,  nurse,  and  tell  me  every 
thing  you  did  when  you  were  a  little  girl,  and 
where  you  lived." 

"I  lived-,  Miss  Leila,  in  a  cottage  within  a 
mile  of  Gloucester,  and  a  prettier  cottage  there 
was  not  in  all  the  neighbourhood.  The  little 
room  where  I  slept  was  behind  the  kitchen,  and 
there  were  two  rooms  above  that ;  and  O,  Miss 
Leila,  such  a  kitchen  as  it  was  for  comfort,  and 
for  every  thing  that  the  heart  could  desire — I 
think  I  see  the  fire  burning  so  brightly,  and  the 
hearth  so  clean,  and  my  grandmother's  arm- 
chair stood  on  one  side  of  the  fire.  I  see  the 
picture  of  it  at  this  very  minute,  and  the  little 
round  oak  table  stood  before  it — you  might  have 
seen  your  face  in  that  table,  I  kept  it  so  bright 
— and  her  large  Bible  lay  on  it,  and  her  beau- 
tiful work-bag  beside  it,  made  out  of  her  grand- 
mother's marriage  gown,  that  was  my  great, 
great,  great  grandmother  you  know  ;  and  such 
flowers  as  there  were  on  that  bag,  you  would 
have  thought  little  of  your  Mary  Queen  of 
Scots,  or  of  Queen  Elizabeth  either,  if  you  had 
seen  them." 

"  And  what  did  she  keep  in  the  bag,  nurse  ?" 

"  What  did  she  not  keep,  Miss  Leila  ?  There 
were  her  stockings,  and  wires,  and  worsted 
balls  of  different  colours  for  mending  all  the 
stocking.--  in  the  house,  and  needles,  and  tapes, 


LEILA.  181 

and  threads,  and  a  nutmeg  in  a  pretty  box,  and 
the  end  of  a  wax  candle,  and  lumps  of  white 
sugar,  which  she  gave  me  sometimes  before  I 
went  to  bed  at  night,  and  a  lemon  to  make 
every  thing  have  a  pleasant  smell.  The  window 
of  the  little  room,  which  I  had  all  to  myself, 
looked  into  the  garden  behind  the  cottage,  and 
in  the  summer  nights  I  used  always  to  leave  the 
window  off  the  latch  when  I  was  going  to  bed, 
that  I  might  hear  the  birds  singing,  and  see  the 
moonlight  glancing  down  amongst  the  flower- 
beds :  and  on  one  side  of  the  cottage  there  was 
the  field  for  the  cow,  and  on  the  other  the  cow- 
house and  the  pig-stye — such  a  pig-stye,  Miss 
Leila,  it  was  like  any  drawing-room — there 
were  no  pigs  in  the  whole  country  round  like 
ours,  for  I  .took  a  pride  and  a  pleasure  in  them, 
and  after  the  cows  were  milked,  and  my  basket 
with  the  eggs  and  the  butter  ready  for  the 
market  in  the  morning,  and  the  nosegays  all  cut 
and  tied  up,  then  I  was  off  to  the  pig-stye  every 
spare  minute  combing  and  brushing  the  pretty 
little  creatures,  for  it  is  quite  a  wrong  notion  to 
think  that  they  are  not  greatly  pleased  to  be 
clean,  and  to  have  every  thing  respectable  about 
them." 

"  But  what  did  your  little  cousin  do ;  did  she 
help  you  to  comb  the  pigs  ?" 

"  No,  Miss  Leila,  my  cousin  Betsey  was  an 

16 


182  LEILA. 

only  daughter  like  myself,  and  she  had  the  work 
of  her  own  mother's  house  to  do :  but  she  lived 
but  a  stone's  throw  from  our  cottage,  so  we  often 
met,  and  on  market  days  it  was  seldom  that  we 
did  not  enter  the  town  of  Gloucester  together, 
and  sit  down  with  our  baskets  side  by  side  in 
the  market-place." 

"  How  nice  that  must  have  been,  nurse ;  I 
phould  have  liked  to  have  sat  with  my  cousin 
Selina  in  the  market-place  in  London  side  by 
side  ;  and  was  your  cousin  Betsey  a  good  girl  ?" 

"  My  cousin  Betsey  was  a  girl  that  never  told 
an  untruth  in  her  life,  and  would  not  have 
touched  a  pin  or  a  morsel  of  sugar  that  belonged 
to  another,  and  if  she  had  cracked  an  egg  by 
accident,  or  made  a  dent  in  the  butter,  she 
would  have  turned  up  that  side  in  the  basket, 
and  mentioned  it  to  the  first  customer  that  came 
our  way.  She  had  a  pious  father  and  mother, 
and  a  Bible  education  ;  but  it  was  not  for  want 
of  that,  that  vanity  and  sin  struggled  hard  with 
me,  and  sometimes  got  the  mastery.  My  father 
and  mother  were  God-fearing  people  too,  and 
my  godmother  had  the  wisdom  of  Solomon  in 
her,  and  all  the  book  of  Proverbs  without  book, 
and  to  me  she  gave  precept  after  precept,  and 
many  an  exhoi  tation  about  the  vanity  of  riches ; 
but  all  that  she  coulS  say  failed  to  drive  the 
love  of  ribbonj  and  light  printed  calicoes  out 


LEILA.  183 

of  my  heart.  Well,  Miss  Leila,  there  fvas  a 
haberdasher's  shop  in  Gloucester,  just  at  the 
turn  of  the  street  as  you  passed  into  the  market- 
place, and  there  was  a  ribbon  in  that  window — 
I  never  shall  forget  that  ribbon  all  my  life  ;  it 
was  pink  satin  with  a  yellow  stripe,  and  pink 
was  just  the  colour  I  thought  did  best  with  me 
then,  though  as  I  got  on  in  life  to  have  more 
sense,  I  took  to  cher-ry  colour  as  more  grave  and 
respectable.  Well,  I  had  been  long  setting  my 
heart  upon  new  ribbons  for  my  Sunday's  bon- 
net; father  had  given  me  one  of  the,  flower- 
beds for  my  own  garden,  and  all  the  nosegays 
out  of  it  were  my  own,  and  I  had  been  a  long 
time  making  up  a  shilling  and  five-pence  out 
of  the  nosegays,  and  grandmother  had  given  me 
a  penny  for  learning  the  third  chapter  of  Prov- 
erbs by  heart,  but  still  it  wanted  another  shilling 
before  I  had  money  enough  to  buy  this  ribbon, 
and  I  had  no  peace  in  my  mind  after  I  had  seen 
it.  So  a<5  I  was  standing  before  the  shop  win- 
dow one  morning  looking  at  it,  and  thinking 
how  long  it  might  be  bofore  I  could  make  up 
another  shilling,  a  fine  lady  came  past  with  a 
littf.e  miss  in  her  hand,  and  little  miss  stopped 
all  of  a  sudden,  and  pulling  the  lady  by  the 
gown,  she  said,  '  Look,  mamma,  what  a  beauti- 
ful ribVri !  will  you  buy  it  to  put  on  my  new 
hat?"  I  fdt  my  heart  at  my  throat  when  the 


184  LEILA. 

lady  answered,  '  Yes,  my  love,  I  will  uuy  it  if 
you  wish  it,  but  I  don't  much  admire  youi 
choice;  we  had  better  look  at  some  others  first: 
that  green  one  which  is  next  to  it  would  be 
much  prettier  for  your  bonnet.'  Every  bit  of 
me  was  shaking  for  fear  that  the  little  miss 
would  get  her  own  way  of  it,  but  the  shopman 
stretched  up  his  hand  to  the  window  and  took 
away  the  green  ribbon,  and  I  felt  a  great  deal 
easier ;  but  it  came  upon  me  for  all  that,  for  the 
pink  ribbon  was  taken  away  next.  I  got  as 
wear  the  door  as  I  could,  and  stretched  out  my 
neck  till  it  was  like  to  break,  and,  Miss  Leila, 
he  took  up  -ohe  yard  measure,  and  there  he  was 
measuring  it  off  yard  after  yard.  I  thought 
there  would  not  have  been  a  morsel  left,  and 
little  n.iss  so  pleased;  and  when  he  came  near 
the  end,  ]  heard  him  say,  '  Madam,  there  is  just 
enough  to  trim  another  bonnet,  may  I  put  it  all 
up  for  you?'  My  very  ears  were  tingling  then, 
but  the  lady  said,  'No,  I  have  sufficient,'  and 
she  paid  the  money,  and  the  rest  of  the  ribbon 
was  hung  up  in  the  window  again." 

"  And  what  did  you  do,  nurse ;  did  you  buy 
it  ?  It  is  a  very  interesting  story,  though  it  is 
not  about  your  cousin  Betsey." 

"  Patience,  Miss  Leila,  and  you  shall  hear,  I 
could  not  buy  it  then,  for  I  had  not  money 
enough,  but  I  thought  to  myself,  some  other 


LEILA.  185 

little  miss  will  be  coming  past  and  taking  a 
fancy  to  this  ribbon,  and  she  will  buy  the  rest, 
no  doubt,  for  every  body  seems  to  have  money 
but  me.  There  is  my  cousin  Betsey,  she  has 
been,  gathering  up  her  money  also  to  buy  a 
Sunday's  bonnet,  and  she  has  two  shillings  and 
sixpence :  I  will  ask  her  to  lend  me  one  of  her 
shillings,  and  I  will  pay  it  her  back  out  of  the 
money  I  get  for  the  nosegays,  long  before  she 
has  enough  to  buy  the  straw  bonnet.  So  I  ran 
on  as  fast  as  ever  I  could  to  the  market-place, 
for  I  knew  I  should  be  very  late,  and  I  was 
quite  impatient  to  speak  to  Betsey,  bat,  to  my 
surprise,  she  was  not  there.  I  looked  up  and 
down  the  street,  and  every  moment  got  more 
impatient,  and  was  not  in  the  best  of  humours ; 
so  when  I  saw  her  at  last  walking  very  quick, 
and  coming  up  to  me,  I  never  asked  her  where 
she  had  been,  or  what  had  kept  her ;  I  could 
speak  of  nothing  but  the  ribbon  ;  I  told  her  of 
every  thing  that  had  happened,  and  what  a  con- 
sternation I  had  been  in.  She  knew  how  much 
I  had  been  wishing  to  buy  it,  for  we  had  often 
stood  at  the  shop  window  and  admired  it  to- 
gether, but  yet  she  never  offered  to  lend  me  the 
money,  and  when  I  asked  her  to  do  it,  her  face 
grew" very  red,  and  she  said,  '  Hilly,  I  can't  do 
that  now.' 

"  'You   can't  do   that,'  I   said;    'you  can't 
ir>* 


186  LEILA. 

trust  me  with  one  of  jour  pitiful  shillings ;  you 
would  rather  hoard  them  up  in  a  box,  doing 

good  to  nobody,  than  you  would '  I  don't 

know  what  more  I  might  ha.ve  said,  for  a  lady 
came  up  that  moment  with  a  servant  carrying  a 
basket.  She  looked  at  my  butter,  which  to  be 
sure  was  as  yellow  as  gold,  and  she  put  two 
pounds  of  it,  which  were  all  I  had,  in  her  basket, 
and  a  dozen  of  eggs,  '  And  now,  child,'  she  said, 
'  here  is  your  money,'  and  she  put  three  shillings 
into  my  hand.  She  had  gone  on  a  little  way, 
and  had  just  turned  up  another  street,  when,  on 
turning  over  the  money  in  my  hand,  I  saw  that 
two  shillings  were  sticking  together  with  a  little 
bit  of  bees-wax,  and  that  the  lady  had  given 
me  four  shillings  instead  of  three.  Betsey's 
eyes  were  on  me  at  the  moment — '  Kun,  Milly,' 
she  said,  '  run,  or  the  lady  will  be  out  of  sight ; 
it  is  a  mistake,  you  know  ;  it  should  only  have 
been  three  shillings.' 

"  '  And  how  am  I  to  know  it  is  a  mistake  ?' 
I  answered ;  '  might  the  lady  not  have  given 
me  a  shilling  to  myself?  Every  one  is  not  so 
stingy  with  their  shillings  as  you  are,  Betsey; 
I  am  not  asking  your  advice,  keep  it  till  you 
are  asked,  and  keep  your  shilling  too.'  The 
tears  were  in  Betsey's  eyes. 

"  '  Milly,'  she  said,  '  it  is  the  evil  spirit  that 
is  speaking  in  you,  it  is  not  my  cousin  Milly— 


LEILA.  187 

you  will  never  keep  what  is  not  yours — I  know 
you  will  not.' 

"  She  darted  from  me,  and  I  grew  more  angry 
every  moment,  for  I  never  doubted  but  that  she 
had  gone  to  tell  the  lady,  but  at  the  corner  of 
the  street  she  stood  for  a  few  minutes,  and  then 
came  back  to  me. 

"  '  Milly,'  she  said,  '  I  know  the  house,  I  saw 
the  lady  go  in  it,  it  is  near  the  middle  of  the 
street,  and  it  has  a  green  door ;  you  will  go, 
Milly,  I  would  go  with  you  too,  but  my  butter 
is  not  sold  yet,  and  you  had  better  not  put  off.' 

"  '  No,  Betsey,'  I  answered,  '  I  will  not  put 
off,  I  will  go  on  my  own  way,  and  you  may  go 
yours — you  know  the  house  now,  Betsey,  and 
you  know  what  to  say;'  and  I  took  up  my 
basket  and  turned  away.  She  ran  after  me,  and 
she  held  me  by  the  apron,  and  the  tears  were 
running  over  her  cheeks. 

"  '  Milly,'  she  said,  '  did  I  ever  tell  a  tale  on 
you,  or  bring  you  into  trouble  ?  Are  we  not 
sisters'  children,  and  have  we  not  always  been 
like  sisters  ?  If  you  ever  loved  me,  Milly,  take 
this  day  to  think  of  it — you  will  see  that  ribbon 
again  as  you  pass ;  but,  remember,  if  you  enter 
the  door  of  that  shop,  whose  eye  it  is  that  is  upon 
you.  O,  Milly,  if  you  go  to  God's  house  with 
that  ribbon  on  your  Sunday's  bonnet,  it  had 
better  have  been  tied  with  a  wisp  of  straw  1' 


188  LEILA. 

She    turned  from    me,   and   I  wen»    on    my 

way." 

"0  nurse!"  Leila  exclaimed,  "you  surely  did 
not  do  that  wicked  thing;  you  did  not  bay  the 
ribbon?  It  was  the  wicked  spirit  that  was 
tempting  you;  you  should  have  prayed  for 
strength." 

"  Yes,  Miss  Leila,  I  should  have  prayed  for 
strength,  but  sin  and  vanity  were  still  strug- 
gling within  me,  and  pride  too,  for  I  could  not 
bear  to  think  that  Betsey  should  have  the  mas- 
tery over  me,  and  that  I  should  be  led  by  her. 
When  I  came  to  the  shop  the  ribbon  was  still 
there.  I  had  the  money  the  lady  had  given 
me,  and  I  took  it  out  and  said  to  myself,  '  I  can 
make  up  the  three  shillings  to  give  mother  with 
the  shilling  and  sixpence  I  have  in  my  box  at 
home' — but  still  Betsey's  words  rang  in  my  ears ; 
I  looked  at  the  ribbon  and  then  at  the  money, 
and  then  I  shut  my  eyes,  and  ran  past  the  shop 
as  fast  as  ever  I  could.  When  I  got  home, 
mother  was  not  in  the  kitchen,  so  I  ran  into  my 
own  room  and  bolted  the  door ;  I  pulled  the 
handkerchief  off  my  Sunday's  bonnet,  and  I 
took  it  down  from  the  peg  in  the  wall,  and  sat 
down  on  the  foot  of  my  bed,  holding  it  in  my 
hand.  Miss  Leila,  you  would  have  been  sorry 
for  me  then,  not  that  I  am  meaning  to  excuse 
myself,  for  my  heart  was  full  of  sin  and  vanity, 


LEILA.  189 

but  you  never  saw  such  a  bonnet;  there  \vas  a 
ribbon  on  it  to  be  sure,  but  who  would  ever 
have  guessed  the  colour  of  it?  It  had  been 
blue,  but  mother  had  washed  and  washed  it  till 
the  whole  colour  was  out,  and  it  was  as  limber 
as  a  rag.  So  pushing  away  my  bonnet  from 
me,  and  taking  the  little  box  out  of  my  drawer 
in  which  I  kept  my  money,  I  threw  one  of  the 
shillings  into  it,  and  running  into  the  kitchen, 
I  put  the  other  thre<  down  on  my  grandmother's 
little  table,  in  as  gi  at  a  hurry  as  if  a  regiment 
of  dragoons  had  bee  i  at  my  back.  My  grand- 
mother had  been  -w  olking  in  the  garden,  ond 
she  came  in  at  that  very  minute,  and  taking  op 
the  three  shillings  she  said,  '  And  so  this  is  the 
money  for  the  two  pounds  of  butter  and  the 
dozen  of  eggs,  Milly  well,  you  are  really  getting 
to  be  a  handy  little  ass,  and  it  is  a  great  com- 
fort both  to  your  mo  ler  and  to  me  to  have  one 
about  us  %ve  can  safel ;  trust ;  but  did  you  never 
get  a  1  acky  penny  to  yourself,  child,  and  had 
you  no  nosegays  to  sell  this  morning  ?' 

"  '  No,  grandmother,'  I  answered,  glad  to  be 
able  to  reply  to  the  last  question  without  an 
untruth ;  '  I  had  no  nosegays,  for  father  advised 
me  to  let  the  flowers  stand  amx  T  day:  we 
have  been  rather  hard  on  them  of  late.'  My 
grandmother  asked  me  no  more  questions  at 
that  time,  but  she  opened  the  Bible  and  made 


190  LEILA. 

me  read  my  chapter  to  her,  and  then  heard  me 
my  psalms  and  hymns.  Many  was  the  word 
that  went  to  my  conscience  in  that  morning's 
reading,  and  I  felt  glad  that  I  had  resolved  to 
take  the  day  to  think  of  it ;  but  still  it  was  work- 
ing in  my  mind,  and  I  could  not  settle  to  my 
work,  or  take  pleasure  in  my  garden,  or  the 
pigs  either,  and  when  night  came  I  was  glad  to 
get  away  to  my  bed.  The  window  was  open, 
and  there  was  a  pleasant  smell  of  honeysuckle 
coming  into  the  room,  for  the  flower  was  fully 
out,  and  it  was  trained  all  round  the  window. 
A  nightingale  was  singing  in  the  large  apple- 
tree,  and  the  moon  was  shining  out  so  clear  that 
I  oould  see  almost  every  flower  in  the  garden ; 
but  I  could  take  pleasure  in  nothing,  and  I  shut 
my  window  that  I  might  not  hear  the  bird  sing- 
ing, and  turned  my  back — but  how  could  I  go  into 
my  bed,  and  my  prayers  not  said  ?  Miss  Leila,  I 
cannot  tell  you  all  that  passed  through  my  mind, 
but  at  last  I  sobbed  as  if  my  heart  would  have 
broken,  and  then  to  say  my  prayers  was  a  com- 
fort to  me,  for  my  mind  was  quite  made  up.  I 
took  the  box  out  of  my  drawer,  and  taking  the 
shilling  out  of  it,  I  wrapped  it  up  in  paper,  and 
put  it  below  my  head,  for  I  was  determined  that 
the  first  thing  I  should  do  in  the  morning  was 
to  find  out  the  lady,  and  tell  her  every  thing." 
"  0,  nurse !"  Leila  exclaimed,  "  I  hope  you 


LEILA.  191 

went  off  very  quick, — and  did  you*  find  the 
lady?" 

"  You  shall  hear,  Miss  Leila ;  I  am  not  just 
some  to  that ;  yet  I  got  into  my  bed  and  tried 
to  sleep ;  but  what  vexed  me  most  of  all  now1 
was  my  quarrel  with  Betsey,  and  I  was  just 
thinking  how  I  was  to  make  it  up  with  her, 
when  I  heard  a  tap  at  the  window,  and  there 
was  Betsey  herself,  for  I  could  see  her  face  quite 
plain  in  the  pale  moonlight.  I  started  up,  and 
wrapping  the  coverlid  about  me,  I  ran  to  the 
window  and  opened  it;  in  a  moment  Betsey's 
arms  were  round  my  neck. 

"  '  Milly,  she  whispered  in  a  very  low  voice, 
1  you  did  not  buy  the  ribbon,  dear ;  I  saw  it  in 
the  window.' 

"  !  No,  Betsey,  I  did  not.' 

"  '  And  you  will  give  back  the  shilling?' 

"  'Yes,  Betsey,  I  will  give  back  the  shilling; 
I  have  put  it  below  my  head;  I  will  be  off  to 
find  out  the  lady  in  the  morning,  the  minute  it 
is  daylight.' 

"  '  0,  thank  God !'  she  exclaimed,  and  I  felt 
she  was  trembling  all  over,  and  the  tears  were 
dropping  from  her  eyes,  for  I  felt  them  on  my 
hand. 

"  '  Betsey,'  I  said,  '  you  will  be  my  own  Bet- 
sey again  to  me :  for  0, 1  have  been  a  miserable 
creature  this  day,  and  if  it  had  not  been  for  you, 


192  LEILA. 

what  should  Lhave  been  this  night!  but  I  have 
asked  God  to  forgive  me,  and  now,  Betsey,  1 
ask  jou.' 

"  '  Milly,'  she  answered,  and  threw  her  arms 
round  me  again,  '  I  have  loved  you-  long  and 
well,  but  never  have  I  loved  you  as  I  do  now, 
and  now  I  shall  sleep  in  peace ;  and  I  must  run 
home  every  foot  of  the  way,  for  mother  is  watch- 
ing for  me,  and  I  promised  not  to  stay.'  She 
was  going,  but  stopped  again %for  a  minute: 
'  Milly,'  she  said,  '  you  need  not  go  to  find  the 
lady  so  early,  you  know  fine  ladies  are  not  up 
by  daylight ;  but  after  our  morning's  work  is 
over,  I  will  meet  you  .at  the  hawthorn  bush  at 
the  top  of  the  lane,  and  we  will  go  together,' — 
and  so  we  parted,  and  I  was  not  a  minute  in  my 
bed,  Miss  Leila,  before  I  was  in  a  sound  sleep. 
Well,  next  morning,  I  got  through  all  my  work 
as  cleverly  as  I  could,  and  took  my  breakfast, 
and  as  soon  as  grandmother's  cuckoo  clock 
struck  nine,  I  ran  up  the  lane,  and  I  found 
Betsey  waiting  for  me  below  the  hawthorn- 
bush;  she  was  tying  up  a  nosegay  for  me  of 
the  pink  blossoms;  'And  now,' she  said,  'we 
are  cousins  again,  Milly,  and  sisters,  just  the 
same  as  if  we  had  never  quarrelled.' 

"  It  was  as  lovely  a  summer's  morning  as  my 
eyes  ever  leaked  upon,  and  the  grass  and  the 
trees  were  hanging  with  the  dew  like  so  many 


LEILA.  193 

diamonds,  and  the  sun  was  shining  on  the 
bleaching  ground,  and  every  web  looked  as 
white  as  a  lily,  or,  as  they  would  say  in  Scot- 
land, the  driven  snow.  We  walked  on  so  hap- 
pily together,  that  Gloucester  seemed  as  though 
it  had  come  to  meet  us.  Betsey  could  not  do 
enough  to  show  me  kindness,  and  I  felt  sure 
that  she  must  have  had  some  good  reason  for 
refusing  to  lend  me  the  shilling — that  she  had  a 
reason  I  little  thought  of,  I  was  not  long  now  of 
knowing.  As  we  were  going  through  a  narrow 
street  that  led  into  the  market-place,  a  little 
girl  ran  out  of  a  miserable-looking  house,  and 
clasping  Betsey's  knees  she  said,  '  0  come  in 
and  see  mother  now,  she  is  better,  she  is  sitting 
up  in  her  bed,  and  baby  is  not  crying  now, 
and  I  have  had  bread  and  milk  for  breakfast.' 
She  pulled  Betsey  forward,  and  I  followed  her 
into  the  room, — a  miserable  room  it  was, — but 
never  shall  I  forget  the  gratitude  of  that  poor 
woman.  Betsey  had  found  her  starving,  and 
had  given  her  all  she  had,  at  the  very  moment 
that  I  had  been  outrageous  against  her  for 
hoarding  up  her  money.  Well,  it  was  acorn- 
fort  to  me  to  think  I  had  something  to  give 
too,  and  she  had  it  all  before  the  day  was  over : 
I  would  not  have  bought  that  ribbon  then,  if  I 
had  had  the  riches  of  the  Indies." 

"  But,  nurse,  you  are  not  going  to  stop,  you 
17 


194  LEILA. 

have  not  told  mo  every  thing :   you  have  not 
told  me  about  the  lady." 

"  Well,  Miss  Leila,  you  shall  hear,  but  I  must 
not  be  so  long  about  it,  for  it  is  full  time  that  T 
was  seeing  after  the  dinner ;  however,  there  is 
not  so  much  to  tell  now.  We  crossed  the  mar- 
ket-place, and  turned  up  the  street  where  Betsey 
had  seen  the  lady  go  into  her  house,  and  about 
the  middle  of  the  street  there  was  a  green 
door,  so  we  were  quite  sure  we  were  right.  A 
maid  was  twirling  a  mop  round  in  her  hands, 
and  when  we  asked  to  see  her  mistress,  she 
made  the  water  fly  out  of  the  mop  all  over  the 
pavement  and  over  our  shoes,  and  then  she 
said,  '  If  we  had  a  message  for  her  mistress,  it 
would  be  more  proper  to  give  it  to  her  to  de 
liver,  than  to  be  going  into  the  clean  parlour 
destroying  every  thing  with  our  dirty  wet  shoes ;' 
but  when- Betsey  answered  so  civilly,  that  it  was 
a  business  about  a  money  matter  that  could  only 
be  told  to  the  lady  herself,  she  seemed  surprised, 
and  opening  the  door  at  the  end  of  the  passage, 
she  bade  us  go  forward.  The  lady  was  sitting 
in  a  high-backed  chair  by  the  fire,  and  no  crea- 
ture in  the  room  to  keep  her  company  but  the, 
parrot ;  and  though  the  weather  was  so  warm, 
the  fire  was  burning  brightly  to  boil  the  kettle, 
and  a  plate  of  muffins  was  on  a  brass  stand  be- 
fore the  fire,  and  breakfast  on  a  round  table  at 


LEILA.  195 

the  lady's  side ;  but  the  butter  was  as  white  as 
the  table-cloth ;  I  saw  it  could  never  have  been 
the  beautiful  yellow  butter  she  had  bought  from 
me,  and  my  mind  misgave  me,  and  when  I 
looked  into  the  lady's  face,  she  was  an  old  wo- 
man, and  quite  different  in  every  way.  Betsey 
had  held  back  at  the  door,  and  the  old  lady  had 
twice  asked  me  what  my  business  was  with  her, 
before  I  could  find  a  word  to  answer ;  at  last, 
making  a  curtsey,  I  said,  '  It  is  not  our  butter, 
madam,  for  it  is  far  too  white,  and  you  are  not 
the  lady  that  had  the  bees-wax  in  your  pocket.' 
The  lady  made  me  no  answer,  but  putting  on 
her  spectacles  and  looking  in  my  face,  she  beck- 
oned Betsey  forward,  and  then  she  said  to  her 
in  a  very  low  voice,  ' Is  she  in  her  right  mind?1 
"  Betsey  was  always  a  better  hand  at  explain- 
ing things  than  I  was,  and  she  very  soon  made 
the  lady  understand  the  mistake  about  the  shil- 
ling, and  what  we  wanted ;  and  she  was  very 
kind1  to  us,  and  gave  each  of  us  a  piece  of 
muffin.  She  told  us  there  was  another  green 
door  next  to  her,  and  that  she  knew  the  lady 
had  been  at  the  market  the  day  before,  and  was 
able  always  to  buy  her  own  butter,  so  she  was 
better  served  than  she  was ;  and  she  bade  us  go 
there  and  tell  our  story  about  the  bees-wax 
and  the  shilling,  and  she  sent  her  own  maid 
with  us  to  knock  at  the  door,  and  to  make  sure 


196  LEILA. 

that  we  were  taken  into  the  parlour.  If  T  nad 
felt  abashed  with  only  the  old  lady  and  the  par- 
rot, what  was  it  to  be  taken  into  a  room  with 
what  I  thought  a  large  company,  for  there  were 
a  lady  and  gentleman,  and  five  or  six  little 
masters  and  misses,  all  sitting  round  a  breakfast- 
table  !  If  it  had  not  been  that  we  saw  our  own 
butter  on  a  plate,  which  gave  me  a  kind  of  con- 
fidence, I  never  could  have  made  out  my  story ; 
but  when  the  lady  asked  what  we  wanted  with 
her,  I  knew  her  voice  again,  and  when  I  looked 
at  her,  she  had  on  the  very  same  face  I  saw  in 
the  market ;  so  I  took  the  little  parcel  out  of 
my  breast,  and  making  a  curtsey,  I  said, 
'Please,  madam,  this  was  the  shilling  which 
was  sticking  to  the  other  with  the  bees-wax, 
and  I  gave  the  three  to  my  mother.'  *  What 
does  the  girl  mean?'  said  the  lady  turning 
round  to  the  gentleman.  I  looked  at  Betsey, 
who  was  going  to  make  it  plainer,  but  the  gen- 
tleman said,  '  She  means  that  you  must  have 
given  her  four  shillings  instead  of  three,  and 
she  is  an  honest  and  a  good  girl.  Now  that 
is  one  I  could  trust  about  our  children  I  we 
must  keep  our  eye  on  that  girl  when  a  few 
more  years  are  over  her  head.'  The  tears  came 
into  my  eyes,  and  I  pointed  to  Betsey,  for  at 
first  I  could  not  speak,  but  yet  I  struggled  to 
get  it  oul; :  '  0,  sir,'  1  said, '  it  is  Betsey  that  you 


LEILA.  197 

should  trust;  I  would  have  bought  the  pink 
satin  ribbon  for  my  bonnet  if  it  had  not  been 
for  her,  and  I  called  her  stingy  and  ill-natured, 
when  every  farthing  she  had  in  the  world  she 
had  given  to  the  poor  starving  woman  with  the 
sick  baby.' 

"'Bravo!'  said  the  gentleman,  knocking  his 
hands  on  the  table,  '  then  we  have  got  two  girls 
fit  to  be  trusted  instead  of  one — that  is  all  the 
difference.' 

The  lady  asked  me  a  great  many  questions 
till  she  understood  every  thing  that  had  happen- 
ed ;  and  she  spoke  very  kindly  to  me,  and 
seemed  to  think  a  great  deal  of  Betsey.  One  of 
the  little  misses  whispered  something  to  her 
mamma,  and  then  she  took  a  roll  off  the  plate, 
and  cutting  it  in  two,  she  put  butter  and  honey 
upon  it,  and  gave  each  of  us  a  half.  It  was 
the  first  time  we  had  ever  tasted  butter  and 
honey  together,  and  we  never  forgot  it.  But, 
Miss  Leila,  that  was  not  all :  before  we  had  been 
at  home  little  more  than  a  couple  of  hours,  i 
maid  came  to  the  door  with  the  two  little  misses, 
and  she  took  out  of  a  band-box  a  beautiful 
straw  bonnet  for  me,  and  another  for  Betsey. 
There  was  not  enough  of  the  pink  ribbon  for 
both,  and  so  the  bonnets  were  trimmed  with 
green,  and  we  liked  it  better.  O,  it  was  a  happy 
day  !  and  she  was  the  best  of  ladief ;  for  before 
17' 


198  LEILA. 

night  the  little  girl  came  to  tell  us  that  the  lady 
had  been  to  see  them,  and  had  promised  them 
both  clothes  and  food.  And  now,  Miss  Leila, 
you  must  not  set  me  on  those  long  gone-by 
stories  again,  for  I  could  speak  about  them  for 
ever  when  once  I  begin." 

"  Then,  nurse,  I  wish  you  would  speak  about 
them  for  ever,  for  I  like  it  so  much.  O  do  not 
go  away."  • 

"  Do  not  go  away,  Miss  Leila !  and  who  is  to 
make  your  dinner,  I  wonder  ?" 


LEILA.  199 


CHAPTEE  XT. 

gEVEKAL  months  passed  away,  and  the 
weather  had  again  become  very  -warm, 
when  one  morning,  as  Leila  lay  upon  the  beach 
writing,  while  her  papa  dictated  to  her,  Dash, 
who  had  been  quietly  soated  by  her  side,  all  at 
once  sprang  up,  and  seemed  seized  with  a  desire 
to  interrupt  her  studies,  and  to  pull  her  away. 

"  What  is  the  matter,  papa,  with  Dash  ?"  she 
said ;  "he  does  not  seem  to  wish  me  to  write 
any  more?' 

"  Leila,  however,  persevered  for  a  few  min- 
utes longer  with  her  employment,  when  sud- 
denly the  sea,  which  lay  before  them  calm  as  a 
summer  lake,  all  at  once  became  agitated ;  the 
waves  broke  against  the  shore  with  a  dull  heavy 
sound,  and  a  clap  of  thunder,  which  was  echoed 
along  the  rocks,  made  both  Mr.  Howard  and 
Leila  start  to  their  feet. 

"  Let  us  hasten  home,  my  child,"  he  said, 
"  the  wind  is  rising ;  we  shall  have  a  violent 
storm,  I  fear." 

Leila  clung  to  her  father's  arm  and  hurried 


200  LEILA. 

along;  but  at  every  step  her  progress  became 
more  difficult:  tlie  wind  increased  with  sudden 
violence,  and  the  forked  lightning,  whicji  at 
first  played  fearfully  amidst  the  black  mass  of 
clouds  in  the  upper  air,  now  ran  along  the 
ground,  and  seemed  as  if,  in  an  instant  more,  it 
would  have  scorched  her  feet.  Leila  shuddered 
and  held  back ;  her  papa  urged  her  forward. 

"  Leila,  my  child,  you  must  not  linger,  every 
moment  increases  our  danger;  let  us  make 
haste  to  ascend  the  cliff,  while  you  have  strength 
to  battle  with  this  fierce  wind.  Put  your  trust 
in  God,  my  dear  child ;  his  protecting  care  is 
ever  around  you." 

A  loud  clap  of  thunder  at  this  moment  re- 
sounded through^  the  air,  and  large  drops  of 
rain  began  to  fall,  and  were  drifted  in  their 
faces  by  the  violence  of  the  still-increasing 
storm.  They  were  now  on  the  narrow  path- 
way which  overhung  the  cliff,  and  the  continu- 
ed roar  and  yelling  of  the  wind,  and  the  noise 
of  the  furious  waves  as  they  broke  against  the 
foot  of  the  rocks,  was  such  that  Leila  could 
no  longer  hear  her  papa's  words  of  encourage- 
ment. She  struggled  hard  to  get  on,  but  it 
seemed  to  her  as  if  her  feet  no  longer  touched 
the  ground,  and  a  moment  might  precipitate  her 
into  the  foaming  sea  below, — her  papa's  arm 
alone  supported  her ;  and  as  the  path  became 


LEILA.  201 

narrower,  and  there  appeared  room  but  for  one, 
the  sense  of  his  danger  took  from  her  all  fur- 
ther recollection.  Suddenly  a  tree,  which  grew 
a  little  way  above  upon  the  cliff,  was  torn  from 
the  rock  with  a  loud  crashing  sound,  and  rolled 
with  fearful  violence  over  the  precipice.  Mr. 
Howard  caught  up  his  trembling  child  in  his 
arms  and  struggled  to  get  forward,  but  the  wind 
rose  at  that-  moment  with  increased  fury,  and  a 
projecting  fragment  of  the  rock  having  caught 
his  foot,  he  stumbled  and  fell :  in  attempting  to 
save  himself  his  hold  relaxed — Leila  slid  from 
his  arms, — in  an  instant  he  had  regained  hia 
footing;  but,  0  the  agony  of  that  moment!  'he 
no  longer  saw  his  child.  Dash  had  sprung  to 
the  side  of  the  precipice:  he  now  stood  on  a  nar- 
row ledge  of  rock  a  little  way  below,  holding 
Leila  by  the  clothes.  Mr.  Howard  threw  him- 
self down,  stretched  out  his  arms  over  the  rock, 
and  with  frantic  efforts  grasped  the  empty  air. 
Another  gust,  and  all  must  have  perished. 
There  was  a  momentary  lull — lower  and  lower 
he  stooped  over  the  precipice — caught  the  flut- 
tering garment  of  Leila.  One  effort  more  hia 
child  was  safe :  and  clasping  her  in  his  arms,  he 
flew  forward  with  desperate  energy ;  turning  the 
point,  he  stopped  not  to  breathe  till  he  had  placed 
his  precious  burden  in  safety  within  the  cave — 
then  knelt  beside  her  in  silent  thankfulnesa. 


202  LEILA. 

Nurse  was  in  violent  alarm,  but  it  was  but 
mpmentary ;  the  colour  was  again  returning  to 
Leila's  cheek,  and  before  they  had  time  to  em- 
ploy any  means  for  her  recovery,  she  opened 
her  eyes,  and  clung  to  her  father's  neck.  She 
seemed  to  have  but  an  imperfect  idea  of  what 
had  passed,  and,  fearful  of  the  effect  'of  any.  ad- 
ditional agitation,  he  forbore  for  the  present  to 
acquaint  her  with  what  had  been  the  extent  of 
her  danger :  he  merely  breathed  over  her  a 
prayer  of  thankfulness  for  the  safety  of  both, 
and  then  sat  by  her  till  she  fell  into  a  quiet 
sleep. 

The  wind  having  in  some  degree  moderated, 
Mr.  Howard  felt  a  restless  wish  to  look  out 
upon  the  sea ;  and  having  but  a  limited  view 
of  it  from  the  window  of  the  cave,  he,  after  re- 
commending Leila  to  nurse's  care,  took  his  tele- 
scope in  his  hand,  and  turning  round  the  point, 
advanced  a  little  way  along  the  cliff.  The  view 
of  the  ocean  was  awfully  grand;  the  gigantic 
and  foaming  waves  rolling  onwards,  appeared 
as  if  they  would  defy  all  opposition,  and  pene- 
trate the  barrier  of  rocks  even  to  their  place  of 
safety.  There  were  moments  of  darkness — the 
wind  entirely  ceased — a  fearful  calm — it  seemed 
as  if  the  world  had  ceased  to  be.  Suddenly, 
again,  the  hurricane  sprung  up  with  a  tremen- 
dous roar,  and  the  crested  waves  were  dashed  in 


LEILA.  203 

one  continued  sheet  of  foam  over  the  broad  ex- 
panse of  waters.  Often  had  he  looked  across 
the  wide  sea  in  the  anxious  hope  that  some  dis- 
tant sail  might  be  in  view ;  but  now  his  prayer 
was,  that  ho  vessel  might  be  near  to  buffet 
with  those  fearful  waves. 

On  his  return,  he  found  Leila  up  and  anxiously 
expecting  him ;  but  although  the  wind  lulled  at 
intervals  during  the  rest  of  the  day,  there  was 
no  appearance  of  the  storm  having  ceased ;  and 
as  the  evening  advanced,  it  again  increased  in 
violence.  Mr.  Howard  sat  by  Leila's  bed  till  a 
late  hour ;  he  could  not  bear  to  leave  her  for 
the  night,  although  repeatedly  urged  by  her  to 
do  so. 

"  Go,  dear  papa,"  she  said ;  "  indeed  I  am 
quite  comfortable  now  ;  I  am  not  afraid.  I  will 
think  of  the  beautiful  verse  in  the  psalm :  I  will 
say  to  God,  '  I  will  lay  me  down  in  peace,  and 
take  my  rest :  for  it  is  thou,  Lord,  only  that 
makest  me  to  dwell  in  safety ;' — and  now  kiss 
me,  dear  papa,  and  good-night."  She  stretched 
out  her  little  arms  towards  him,  he  held  her  for 
a  moment  to  his  breast,  and  then  retired  into  the 
outer  cave. 

In  the  middle  of  the  night  Mr.  Howard  was 
suddenly  awakened.  Was  it  a  gun  he  heard, 
or  only  the  crash  of  a  falling  tree  ?  He  listened 
— in  a  pause  of  the  wind  again  the  sound  was 


204  LEILA. 

repeated.  Too  surely  it  was  a  gun,  the  signal 
of  a  vessel  in  distress.  The  night  was  impene- 
trably dark,  not  a  star  was  visible,  and  in  the 
violence  of  such  a  storm,  and  in  total  darkness, 
to  attempt  the  cliff  were  madness.  '  Guns  con- 
tinued to  be  fired  at  intervals ;  they  seemed  to 
say,  "  Will  no  friendly  arm  be  stretched  out  to 
save  ?"  Alas  !  what  could  his  single  arm  effect, 
even  could  he  reach  the  beach?  But  Leila 
depended  on  him  alone,  and  till  the  day  should 
dawn, when  the  risk  to  his  own  safety  would  be 
lessened,  he  felt  that  nothing  could  be  attempted; 
he  could  only  pray. 

With  the  first  rays  of  light,  he  prepared  to 
leave  the  cave ;  taking  a  coil  of  rope  in  his  hand, 
he  called  Dash  to  his  side,  and  stepping  into 
the  inner  apartment  for  a  moment,  he  kissed 
Leila  fondly,  and  hurried  away. 

The  little  girl  continued  to  sleep  for  some 
time  after  her  papa  had  left  her,  till  suddenly 
she  was  awakened  by  Mr.  Howard  re-entering 
the  cave,  carrying  something  in  his  arms,  and 
his  clothes  seemed  drenched  as  if  he  had  been 
in  the  water. 

"  Get  up,  my  love,  as  quickly  as  you  can,"  he 
said,  in  an  agitated  voice,  "•  and  let  me  put  this 
little  girl  into  your  warm  bed."  Leila  was  up 
in  a  moment. 

"  A  little  girl,  papa! — a  little  girl,  did  you 


LEILA.  205 

say  ?  0,  let  me  see  her  face ! — how  pale,  how 
very  pale  she  is,  but  0,  how  beautiful !  When 
will  she  open  her  eyes?  Is  she  asleep,  papa? 
Where  did  you  find  her?" 

"  Leila,  I  cannot  answer  your  questions  now. 
Dress  yourself  quickly,  my  love,  and  do  not 
speak  to  me ;  not  a  moment  is  to  Be  lost ;  I 
must  use  every  endeavour  to  recover  this  sweet 
child." 

Nurse  entered  at  this  moment  with  the  appli- 
cations which  Mr.  Howard  had  ordered  as  ho 
passed  through  the  outer  cave.  They  were 
quickly  administered  :  they  bent  over  the  bed, 
they  chafed  her  temples  and  little  hands,  and 
breathed  into  her  lungs,  while  Leila  looked  on 
in  speechless  emotion.  Mr.  Howard  now  kept 
his  hand  upon  her  pulse ;  it  seemed  to  him  as 
if  it  beat  faintly :  an  almost  imperceptible  shade 
of  colour  tinged  her  cheek  :  it  deepened  into  a 
faint  flush ;  she  opened  her  blue  eyes, — they 
appeared  to  rest  on  Leila  for  a  moment :  she 
seemed  to  smile.  It  was  an  angel's  smile — the 
heavy  eyelids  closed,  her  pulse  had  ceased  to 
beat 

"  O,  papa,  what  has  happened  ?  What  is 
this?" 

"  It  is  death,  my  child." 

'"  And  will  she  never,  never  open  her  eyea 
again  ?" 

18 


206  LEILA. 

"  She  will  open  them  in  heaven,  Leila,  to  be- 
hold her  God." 

Leila  threw  herself  upon  the  bed,  and  clasped 
the  lifeless  body  in  her  arms ;  the  colour  left  her 
cheek  :  she  would  have  fainted,  had  not  a  timely 
burst  of  tears  relieved  the  oppression  of  her 
heart. 

."  O,  papa !"  she  exclaimed,  "  I  cannot  bear 
it.  Why  did  she  die?  the  only  little  girl  I  may 
ever  see ;  and  I  would  have  loved  her  so." 

"  Dear  Leila,"  Mr.  Howard  gently  answered, 
"you  must  not  murmur;  this  is  the  first  sorrow 
your  heavenly  Father  has  thought  fit  to  send 
you.  Remember  your  daily  prayer,  my  child, 
'  Thy  will  be  done.'  Let  me  see  you  bow  in 
meek  submission  to  his  will.  The  spirit  of  this 
dear  child  is  with  its  God,  enjoying  a  happiness 
which  we  can  but  faintly  picture,  and  which  your 
warmest  love  could  never  have  purchased  for 
her.  You  should  not  wish  to  recall  her,  Leila ; 
she  will  shed  no  more  of  those  tears  which  now 
wring  your  heart.  Sorrow  has  ceased  with  her, 
and  eternal  bliss  has  begun." 

Leila  strove  hard  to  be  composed,  and  the 
violence  of  her  first  emotions  seemed  to  have 
passed  away  ;  but  still  her  papa  could  not  pre- 
vail upon  her  to  leave  for  any  length  of  time  the 
object  of  her  deep  interest.  Mr.  Howard  had 
removed  the  body  from  Leila's  bed  to  a  mattresa 


LEILA.  207 

in  the  outer  cave ;  but  often  during  the  day  did 
she  steal  away,  and  was  found  by  her  papa 
either  chafing  its  cold,  hands  or  bending  over 
the  inanimate  clay,  listening  in  vain  to  catch  the 
slightest  breath. 

It  may  easily  be  supposed  that  an  evenf  in 
itself  so  interesting  must,  in  Leila's  quiet  un- 
varied life,  have  made  the  deepest  impression — 
she  could  think  or  talk  of  nothing  else. 

"  O  do  tell  me  more,  papa  I"  she  exclaimed, 
"  tell  me  every  thing ;  it  comforts  me  to  hear 
you  speak  about  it.  Why  did  you  not  waken 
me  ?  I  would  have  gone  too ;  I  would  have 
helped  you.  Perhaps  I  could  have  done  some 
good ;  I  would  have  breathed  on  the  little  girl 
with  my  warm  breath  the  minute  you  took  her 
out  of  the  sea,  as  you  did  to  me,  papa.  And  I 
would  have  put  my  fur  frock  upon  her  to  make 
her  warm.  Why  did  you  not  wake  me  ?" 

"  My  dear  Leila,  you  could  not  have  accom- 
panied me,  the  storm  was  so  violent.  You  for- 
get, my  love,  the  narrow  escape  you  yourself 
have  so  lately  made.  Had  you  been  with  me, 
my  attention  would  have  beeff  so  much  occu- 
pied in  protecting  you  from  danger,  that  I  could 
not  even  have  made  the  attempt  to  save  this 
poor  child." 

"  And  did  you  see  the  ship,  papa  ?  Was  it 
very  far  away  ?  and  where  is  it  now  ?" 


208  LEILA. 

Mr.  Howard  shuddered.  "Alas,  Leila!  I 
saw  no  ship ;  the  guns  had  ceased  to  fire  ere  I 
had  reached  the  beach,  and  I  saw  only  the  fear- 
ful waves." 

"And  the  raft,  papa?" 

"  Yes  ;  after  some  time  I  discovered  the  raft, 
and  it  seemed  to  me  as  if  another  person  was 
then  upon  it.  I  fear,  from  examining  the  state 
of  the  ropes,  it  must  have  been  so — it  is  a  sad, 
sad  thought." 

Leife,  looked  up  at  her  papa's  agitated  coun- 
tenance, and  forbore  all  further  questions. 

In  the  evening  Mr.  Howard  was  obliged  to 
leave  her  for  some  time,  to  make  the  necessary 
preparations  for  the  interment,  which  he  wished 
to  take  place  early  next  day.  On  his  return  he 
found  that,  completely  worn  out  with  the  agi- 
tations of  the  last  twenty-four  hours,  Leila  had 
been  prevailed  upon  by  nurse  to  allow  her- 
self to  be  undressed,  and  had  dropped  asleep. 
Still  her  dreams  seemed  to^  partake  of  the  nature 
of  her  waking  thoughts,  and  frequently  he 
heard  her  murmur  in  a  low,  plaintive  voice, 
"Clara,  dear  Clara!"  A  miniature  had  been 
found  suspended  round  this  little  girl's  neck; 
it  was  the  picture  of  a  young  and  lovely  woman 
— too  young,  it  seemed,  to  have  been  the  mother 
of  the  child ;  but  an  inscription  at  the  back  put 
the  matter  beyond  all  doubt  Around  a  lock 


LEILA.  W9 

of  light  glossy  hair  was  written,  "From  mamma 
to  Clara."  Alas!  those  laughing  eyes,  how 
many  tears  were  they  doomed  to  shed,  for  the 
fate  of  a  child  so  beloved  1 

18* 


210  LEILA. 


CHAPTER  XVI.     ^ 

MR.  HOWARD  rose  next  morning,  as  soon  as 
it  was  day,  to  complete  his  melancholy  task, 
and  had  just  finished  filling  in  the  earth  over  the 
coffin,  and  was  about  to  read  the  funeral  service 
over  the  grave,  when  Leila  darted  to  his  side. 

"  Leila,  my  child,  I  wished  to  have  saved  you 
this ;  you  did  wrong  to  leave  the  cave,  but  now 
there  must  be  no  violent  emotion.  I  am  about 
to  read  this  solemn  and  beautiful  service ;  let 
me  see  that  you  command  yourself;  endeavour 
to  raise  your  thoughts  from  earth  to  Heaven. 
Listen,  Leila,  and  take  comfort  from  these  sub- 
lime words:  'I  am  the  resurrection  and  the 
life,  saith  the  Lord ;  he  that  believeth  in  me, 
though  he  were  dead,  yet  shall  he  live;  and 
whosoever  liveth  and  believeth  in  me,  shall 
never  die.' 

" '  I  know  that  my  Redeemer  liveth,  and  that 
he  shall  stand  at  the  latter  day  upon  the  earth. 
And  though  after  my  skin  worms  destroy  this 
body,  yet  in  my  flesh  shall  I  see  God,  whom  I 


LEILA.  211 

shall  see  for  myself,  and  mine  eyes  shall  behold/ 
and  not  another.' " 

Mr.  Howard  continued  to  read,  and  Leila 
struggled  with  her  emotion ;  but  when  he  closed 
the  book,  and  all  was  over,  she  threw  herself 
^upon  the  grave,  and  wept  such  tears  as  she  had 
never  wejWbefore. 

It  was  Leila's  first  trial,  and  deeply  did  she 
feel  it ;  but  ere  two  days  had  passed  away,  all 
sense  of  her  present  sorrow  was  lost  in  a  depth 
of  suffering  which  touched  her  far  more  nearly. 

Mr.  Howard,  on  seeing  the  raft  to  which  the 
poor  child  was  bound  almost  buried  amidst  the 
agitated  waves,  had  thrown  himself  into  the  sea, 
and  with  Dash's  assistance  had  succeeded  in 
bringing  it  to  land ;  but  completely  occupied 
in  endeavouring  to  restore  animation  to  the  ob- 
ject of  his  anxious  care,  he  continued  in  his  wet 
clothes,  and  the  chill  which  he  received,  added 
to  the  previous  state  of  excitement  into  which 
he  had  been  thrown  by  Leila's  imminent  dan- 
ger, seemed  so  much  to  have  affected  his  frame, 
that  repeated  fits  of  shivering  and  a  burning 
pain  in  his  temples,  gave  strong  indications  of 
an  attack  of  fever.  For  two  days  he  had  strug- 
gled to  check  the  progress  of  the  disease,  but 
on  the  third,  after  having  been  employed  in 
writing  for  some  time  with  a  pencil  on  a  leaf  in 
his  pocket-book,  he  called  Leila  to  him. 


212  LEILA. 

"My  dear  child,"  ne  said,  "  I  have  been  suf- 
fering much  for  these  last  days,  and  now  I  feel 
that  I  am  getting  worse,  and  shall  probably 
have  a  fever  ;  indeed,  I  am  sensible  that  even 
now  it  is  upon  me,  and  I  may  become  rapidly 
worse;  but  I  have  prayed  for  en  tire  resignation 
to  my  heavenly  Father's  will.  I  lE^e  placed 
myself,  and  you  also,  my  dearest  child,  in  his 
hands;  if  it  is  for  your  good,  Leila,  God  will 
preserve  me  to  you,  and  I  shall  recover,  but  if— 

"Ostop,  stop,  papa!"  she  exclaimed,  clasping 
her  hands  together  in  wild  alarm,  "  0,  do  not 
say  it !  I  cannot,  indeed  I  cannot  bear  it !" 

"  Leila,  dear  child,  at  this  moment  you  are 
increasing  my  illness;  all  emotion  must  be 
avoided ;  if  you  are  able  to  command  yourself, 
I  will  go  on,  but  if  not,  you  must  leave  me, 
dearest,  to  nurse's  care.  I  must  lie  down  upon 
my  bed,  I  feel  I  can  no  longer  exert." 

"  0  do  not  send  me  from  you,  papa — I  will 
be  calm,  indeed  I  will  be  quite  calm.  See,  I 
am  not  crying  now,"  (and  she  hastily  wiped  away 
her  tears.)  "  Now  tell  me  every  thing,  papa,  and 
I  will  listen." 

Mr.  Howard,  then,  in  the  gentlest  way  possi- 
ble, made  Leila  aware  that  the  result  of  this 
fever  might  be  fatal,  and  that  were  such  to  be 
the  case,  her  heavenly  Father,  loving  her  with 
a  love  far  greater  than  his,  would  raise  up  friends 


LEILA.  *  213 

for  her  ii)  her  time  of  need.  He  told  her  that ' 
she  wouW  tiad  instructions  for  her  future  con- 
duct in  bis  pocket-book,  and  that  he  had  now 
written  a  few  lines  in  it  to  his  sister,  consigning 
Leila  to  her  care,  which,  in  the  event  of  her  one 
day  returning  to  England,  she  was  to  deliver  to 
her.  "  And  now,  my  beloved  child,  go  to  your 
own  apartment,  kneel  down,  and  ask  for  that 
support  which  will  strengthen  you  to  bear  all 
things.  May  you  be  able  to  aay,  '  In  the  day 
when  I  cried,  thou  answeredst  me,  and  strength 
enedst  me  with  strength  in  my  soul.'  Go,  deai 
child,  and  when  you  feel  you  have  put  youi 
trust  where  alone  it  should  be  placed,  return  to 
me  and  be  my  little  nurse,  and  my  greatest 
comfort." 

Leila's  prayers  were  simply  expressed,  but 
they  were  from  the  very  depth  of  her  heart,  and 
such  prayers  are  heard  in  heaven.  She  rose 
from  her  knees,  calmed  and  strengthened. 

"  How  sinful  I  was,"  she  said  to  herself  "  to 
grieve  so  much  for  Clara  1  I  seemed  not  to  care 
for  any  thing.  I  forgot  that  my  dear  papa  was 
still  with  me,  and  every  thing  as  beautiful  as  it 
was  before,  but  now  I  will  not  be  ungrateful  any 
more.  I  will  constantly  pray  to  God  to  put  into 
my  mind  all  that  I  should  do  for  my  dear  papa, 
and  I  will  trust  in  him,  and  he  will  do  every 
thing  that  is  right.". 


214  'LEILA. 

On  her  return  to  the  outer  cave,  she  found 
Mr.  Howard  employed  in  giving  nurse  direc- 
tions how  he  should  be  treated,  in  the  event 
of  the  fever  increasing.  Leila  listened  with  the 
deepest  attention;  then  taking  her  distaff,  she 
seated  herself  quietly  by  his  bedside,  and  was 
on  the  watch  to  obey  his  slightest  wish.  As 
the  evening  advanced,  she  read  to  him  from 
the  Bible,  and  finished  by  singing  the  morn- 
ing hymn,  and  it  was  with  difficulty  that 
she  was  prevailed  upon  to  leave  him-  for  the 
night. 

During  the  two  following  days  he  continued 
to  get  worse,  and  it  seemed  as  if  Leila  were  no 
longer  a  child.  She  never  failed  to  remind  nurse 
of  the  different  draughts  which  should  be  given 
at  stated  times,  and  when  prevailed  upon  to 
leave  the  cavern  for  a  few  minutes  to  breathe  the 
open  air,  she  always  returned  with  something 
which  she  thought  would  do  her  papa  good ; 
she  brought  for  him  the  freshest  lemons  and  the 
ripest  grapes,  and  each  day  she  laid  upon  his 
bed  a  single  flower.  She  had  heard  her  papa 
say,  that  many  flowers  were  injurious  in  their 
sleeping  apartments,  and  it  was  now  that  she 
seemed  to  remember  all  that  he  had  ever  told 
her,  and  to  act  upon  it ;  and  it  was  delightful  to 
Leila  when  her  papa  assured  her  that  the  sher- 
bets she  mixed  for  him  always  did  him  good, 


LEILA.  215 

and  that  he  felt  less  restless  after  she  had  bathed 
his  temples  and  smoothed  his  pillow. 

Poor  nurse  was  indefatigable  in  her  attentions 
and  in  her  affectionate  care;  but  not  being  a 
person  of  strong  judgment,  and  naturally  of  an 
anxious  turn  of  mind,  being  also  much  more 
aware  of  the  extreme  danger  than  Leila  could 
be,  she  was  at  times  completely  overcome  by  the 
helplessness  of  their  situation,  and  at  such  mo- 
ments was  often  grateful  for  the  suggestions  oi 
even  a  mere  child.  It  was  at  Leila's  request  thai 
whey  was  prepared,  lest  her  papa  should  weary 
of  his  lemonade,  and  that  when  the  flushing  in 
his  face  was  violent,  and  the  fits  of  oppression 
came  on,  they  should  fan  him  with  the  leaves  of 
the  palm-tree.  He  was  able  to  talk  to  her  but 
very  little  now ;  she  read  to  him  from  the  Bible 
sometimes,  but  he  could  only  bear  a  few  verses 
at  a  time.  Once  or  twice  he  pressed  her  little 
hands  to  his  lips,  and  she  felt  that  they  burned 
like  fire.  The  disease  was  visibly  increasing. 
On  the  seventh  day  it  seemed  drawing  to  a  cri- 
sis ;  towards  evening  he  became  more  and  more 
restless  and  uneasy.  Leila  got  up  upon  the  bed, 
and  bathed  his  temples  with  vinegar,  while 
nurse  fanned  his  cheeks. 

"  Lei^a,  my  beloved  child,"  he  said  faintly,  "I 
have  been  praying  for  you,  but  I  feel  that  my 
mind  is  beginning  to  wander^.  In  a  short  time 


216  LEILA. 

I  may  not  know  you,  my  child  If  this  addi- 
tional trial  is  sent  you,  Leila,  remember  it  ia 
also  from  God.  Do  not  allow  yourself  to  be 
overcome ;  in  fever  it  is  a  common  symptom. 
I  cannot  say  more.  Give  me  your  hand,  I  like 
to  feel  that  you  are  near  me.  0  that  I  could 
sleep !" 

Leila  watched  beside  him  with  the  most  in- 
tense anxiety ;  but  suddenly  starting  up  again, 
he  opened  his  eyes  and  looked  at  her  earnestly. 

"Who  are  you?"  he  said.  "You  are  not 
Leila."  The  affrighted  child  burst  into  an  agony 
of  tears. 

"  No,"  he  continued,  "you  are  not  Leila — my 
Leila  never  weeps,  she  is  always  smiling." 

In  a  moment  Leila's  tears  were  dried.  "  Look 
at  me  now,  dear  papa,"  she  said,  "  see,  I  am 
smiling;  I  am  your  otfn  Leila." 

"Yes,  I  know  you  how,"  he  said,  "you  are 
Leila ;  but  O  this  thirst !  if  you  are  Leila,  can 
you  not  cure  this  thirst?" 

She  held  a  glass  of  lemonade  to  his  lips — he 
pushed  it  impatiently  away. 

"  The  whey,  nurse  !"  she  exclaimed.  "  O  try 
the  whey !" 

Nurse  hastily  lifted  a  large  wooden  bowl 
which  contained  the  whey,  and,  without  waiting 
to  pour  part  of  it  into  a  glass,  she  held  it  to 
~ois  lips — he  swallowed  it  with  eagerness,  and 


LEILA.  217 

drained  the  bowl  to  the  last  drop;  then,  ex- 
hausted with  the  effort  he  had  made,  he  sank 
upon  the  pfllow.  For  some  time  he  seemed 
more  and  more  restless,  and  the  flushing  in  his 
face  became  more  violent;  but  to  this  succeeded 
a  soft  moisture  over  the  skin,  which  increased 
rapidly,  and  after  a  short  interval  he  again  drop- 
ped asleep.  At  first  it  was  a  troubled  sleep — he 
started  frequently,  and  muttered  some  indistinct 
words ;  but  gradually  his  breathing  became  soft ; 
he  slept  profoundly.  Leila,  in  terror,  stooped 
over  him,  to  be  assured  that  he  still  breathed. 

"  Do  not  be  afraid,  my  dear  child,"  said  nurse, 
"this  sleep  is  most  favourable.     I  think  the 
crisis  must  have  passed,  and  your  dear  papa  will 
probably  awake   quite  composed,   and    much, 
better." 

Leila  threw  herself  upon  her  knees,  and  poured 
out  the  fullness  of  her  grateful  heart,  and  the 
good  old  nurse  wept  over  her  tears  of  joy. 

"  And  now,  my  dear  child,"  she  said,  "  you 
will  allow  me  to  undress  you,  and  put  you  into 
your  own  bed ;  I  will  watch  beside  your  papa ; 
you  have  much  need  of  rest." 

But  Leila  would  not  be  prevailed  upon  to  go 
to  her  own  bed ;  she  entreated  so  earnestly  to 
be  allowed  to  remain  near  her  papa,  that  nurse 
was  obliged  to  consent ;  and  spreading  a  mat- 
tress for  her  on  the  floor,  she  wrapped  her  in  the 

19 


218  LEILA. 

silk  quilt,  and  with  the  assurance  that  she  was 
to  be  crlled  if'her  papa  awoke,  Leila  fell  asleep. 

She  awoke  soon  after  sunrise,  »and  started 
hastily  up.  Nurse  was  watching  by  the  bed ; 
all  was  silent;  her  papa  still  slept:  he  looked 
pale,  very  pale,  but  his  breathing  was  gentle  as 
an  infant's,  and  Leila  fancied  that  she  saw  him 
smile.  After  her  morning  prayers  were  over, 
she  took  her  place  by  the  side  of  his  bed,  and 
opening  her  Bible,  she  began  to  read.  On  hear- 
ing a  slight  movement  she  looked  up ;  her  papa 
opened  his  eyes,  and  now  Leila  felt  certain  that 
he  smiled. 

"  Leila,  my  beloved  child,"  he  said,  "  how  is 
this  ?  Why  are  you  here  ?  It  seems  as  if  the 
sun  had  but  lately  risen ;"  and  he  looked  towards 
the  open  door.  "  How  refreshing  is  the  morning 
air !"  he  continued,  "  and  all  without  looks  so 
bright  and  green ;  but  I  feel  weak,  and  as  if  I 
had  been  very  ill,  and  I  have  but  a  confused  re- 
membrance of  what  has  passed." 

Leila  began  to  give  an  account  of  what  had 
taken  place  the  evening  before,  but  checking 
herself,  she  said,  "  But  we  will  not  talk  of  it 
now,  papa,  for  it  may  make  you  ill  again." 

"  You  are  quite  right,  my  dear  child ;  I  am 
not,  able  for  it  now,  or  for  much  speaking ;  but 
read  the  Psalms  to  me,  and  then  leave  me,  my 
child,  for  I  wish  to  be  alone,  and  those  pale 


LEILA.  2lfc 

cheeks  require  fresh  air  and  exercise.  I  know 
that  you  have  been  much  confined  during  my 
illness ;  f£>r  although  I  cannot  remember  every 
thing  distinctly,  I  can  never  forget,  my  own 
dear  child,  that  you  were  ever  by  my  side." 

Leila  read  for  a  short  time  to  her  papa,  and 
then,  after  kissing  him  repeatedly,  she  left  the 
cave,  and  was  quickly  surrounded  by  her  nu- 
merous favourites.  As  soon  as  their  wants  were 
satisfied,  she  proceeded  to  her  garden,  and  O 
how  lovely  did  every  thing  appear !  Never  be- 
fore had  the  flowers  worn  so  bright  a  hue,  or 
the  birds  sung  so  sweetly.  Leila  felt  happier 
than  I  have  words  to  tell. 

Mr.  Howard's  recovery,  though  at  first  not 
rapid,  was  progressive :  he  sat  much  in  the  open 
air  under  the  shade  of  the  rock,  or  on  the  green 
turf  seat  in  Leila's  garden.  He  liked  to  hear 
the  hum  of  the  bees,  and  to  see  her  tending  her 
flowers ;  and  often  she  would  bring  her  guitar 
and  sing  to  him,  or  take  her  distaff  and  engage 
him  in  interesting  conversation.  Each  day  he 
extended  his  walks  with  her  a  little  farther,  and 
in  a  few  weeks  all  his  usual  habits  were  resumed. 
But  there  was  a  change  in  Leila:  her  extreme 
childishness  had  passed  away  ;  she  was  equally 
attentive  to  her  numerous  pets,  yet  seemed  less 
entirely  occupied  by  them  ;  and  though  always 
cheerful  and  often  gay,  a  shade  of  seriousness 


220  LEILA. 

would  sometimes  pass  across  her  face.  Her 
papa  often  found  her  tying  up  or  watering  the 
flowers  which  she  had  planted  on  Clara's  grave, 
and  she  never  now  expressed  the  hope  that  they 
might  continue  always  on  the  island.  Mr. 
Howard's  own  anxious  wish  for  their  removal 
had  been  greatly  strengthened  by  his  illness, 
and  he  soon  became  aware  that  now  he  no 
longer  felt  alone  on  this  subject.  Leila  spoke 
of  it  only  once,  for  she  saw  that  it  agitated  him, 
but  he  often  saw  her  gaze  earnestly  oh  the  sea, 
and  the  expression  of  her  countenance  at  those 
moments  fully  revealed  to  him  the  subject  of  her 
thoughts  and  wishes. 

Still  the  happy  forgetfulness  of  youth  was 
hers.  No  sooner  had  she  turned  round  the  point 
of  rock,  and  the  cave  came  in  view,  with  her 
pretty  garden  brilliant  with  flowers,  and  all  the 
happy  birds  and  animals  which  flew  to  meet  her, 
than  for  a  moment  all  remembrance  of  their  ban- 
ishment was  forgotten,  amid  the  thoughts  of  her 
pleasant  home.  She  often  now  took  excursions 
with  her  papa  in  her  little  carriage,  while  he 
walked  by  her  side,  and  in  this  way  became  ac- 
quainted with  many  beautiful  parts  of  the  island 
which  she  had  never  seen  before ;  but  although 
those  excursions  were  always  looked  forward  to 
with  impatience,  and  enjoyed  with  delight,  yet 
they  never  now  returned  home  without  Leila 


LEILA.  221 

having  asked  many  questions ;  which  proved  to 
Mr.  Howard,  that  although  still  enjoying  the 
beauties  -which  surrounded  her,  she  would  gladly 
leave  them  all  for  that  unknown  land  to  which 
her  young  imagination  so  often  wandered. 


LEILA. 


CHAPTER  XVII. 

TT  was  some  weeks  after  Mr.  Howard's  recovery, 
that  one  morning  after  the  lessons  were  over, 
taking  his  gun,  he  left  Leila  for  a  couple  of  hours 
to  cross  the  island  in  search  of  game. 

It  was  a  soft,  relaxing  day,  with  but  partial 
gleams  of  sunshine,  and  Leila  felt  a  sense  of  op- 
pression at  her  heart,  she  knew  not  why. 

After  trying  to  interest  herself  for  some  time 
with  her  garden,  she  took  her  way  to  Clara's 
grave,  and  seating  herself  upon  it,  she  recalled 
to  mind  all  that  had  lately  happened.  "O 
Clara !"  she  murmured  to  herself,  "  how  I  would 
have  loved  you !  and  I  may  never  see  another 
little  girl  again ;  but  I  will  not  try  to  wish  you 
back,  for  you  are  happier  in  heaven  than  you 
could  be  here.  I  have  planted  for  you  the 
brightest  flowers,  but  you  are  gathering  flowers 
with  angels  now — flowers  that  will  never  die. 
And  have  I  not  my  dear  papa  with  me  ?"  she 
continued,  "my  dear,  dear  papa!  Yes,  God 
was  very  gracious  to  me ;  he  recovered  my 
papa ;  and  now  I  will  go  and  seat  myself  upon 


LEILA.  22'6 

the  cliff  till  he  returns,  and  look  upon  the  sea. 
It  is  not  wrong  to  wish  that  a  ship  should  come, 
for  he  wishes  that  also,  and  he  has  raised  the 
beacon  now  almost  to  the  clouds." 

Leila  seated  herself  upon  a  projecting  rock, 
and  gazed  earnestly  on  the  sea.  It  lay  before 
her  quiet  and  still ;  there  was  no  murmur  from 
the  waves,  scarce  a  ripple  upon  the  broad  ex- 
panse of  waters :  all  was  silent  around.  She 
watched  the  sea-birds  as  they  flew  round  in 
circles  in  the  quiet  air,  then  Parting  suddenly 
down,  they  would  spread  their  broad  wings  and 
rear  their  white  breasts  on  the  still  waters. 
Leila  gazed  long  and  anxiously,  but  no  distant 
sail  was  visible ;  and  she  was  just  about  to 
return  with  the  hope  of  meeting  her  papa,  when 
her  attention  was  arrested  by  a  dim  speck  upon 
the  far  distant  sea.  It  was  too  small  to  be  a 
ship,  and  it  was  black,  very  black.  Leila 
thought  of  the  white  sails  of  their  own  gallant 
ship,  and  sighed  deeply.  She  rose  to  go,  but 
still  she  lingered ;  earnestly  she  gazed — a  broad 
line  of  light  stretched  along  upon  the  waters. 
"  I  will  wait,"  she  said ;  "  if  it  move,  it  will 
pass  into  the  light ;  it  is  entering  it  even  now, 
and  it  is  different,  quite  different.  It  is  not 
dark  now  ;  it  is  a  ship — I  see  it  plainly."  She 
flew  along  the  cliff,  and  turned  the  point.  On 
she  ran  with  breathless  speed,  and  entering  the 


224  LEILA. 

cave,  she  exclaimed,  "  A  ship !  a  ship,  nurse  I 
O  come  quickly  I  I  cannot  stay — I  must  go 
back  to  the  clifE  But  where  is  papa? — Papa, 
papa!"  she  shouted  aloud,  as  she  flew  along 
and  retraced  her  steps.  But  no  answer  was  re- 
turned, and  she  stood  alone  upon  a  high  point 
of  rock  which  overhung  the  precipice,  when 
poor  nurse,  breathless  with  haste  and  agitation, 
came  in  sight 

"  0  my  dear  child  !  come  down,  come  down  I" 
she  exclaimed,  "you  will  slip  over  the  preci- 
pice— you  will  fall  into  the  sea.  But  where  is 
the  ship  ?  0  show  me  the  ship !"  Leila  pointed 
to  the  broad  line  of  light,  in  the  middle  of 
which  lay  the  vessel,  as  if  asleep  upon  the 
waters.  But  poor  nurse  strained  her  eyes  in 
vain.  "Alas!"  she  exclaimed,  "there  is  no 
ship,  or  I  can  discover  none." 

"There  is,  there  is,  nurse!  I  see  it  more 
plainly  than  ever.  O  that  papa  were  here! 
What  can  we  do — can  we  do  nothing  ?  0  tell 
me  what  we  would  do — we  could  fire  the  beacon, 
could  we  not?  Quick,  quick,  give  me  the 
tinder-box ;  I  can  run  very  fast,  and  you  can 
follow." 

She  darted  along  the  cliff,  and,  turning  the 
point,  she  crossed  the  rivulet,  and  bounded  like 
a  young  fawn  up  the  side  of  the  hill.  In  a  few 
minutes  she  stood  by  the  crackling  fire,  while  a 


LKILA. 


"Lab,  «rctfd,ve»Bt  fern  ftvtt  God; 


Edb 


226  LEILA. 

"There  is  still  a  hope,  dear  child/'  he 
whispered,  "  although  it  is  but  faint.  The 
ship  has  tacked;  when  it  tacks  again,  it 
may  near  the  land.  Let  us  go  aown  to  the 
beach." 

They  proceeded  as  quickly  as  they  could, 
accompanied  by  poor  nurse,  whom  they  met 
toiling  up  the  hill.  They  reached  the  shore. 
Alas  !  the  object  of  their  anxious  hope  appeared 
now  but  a  faint  speck  upon  the  distant  waters. 
Leila  gazed  in  silence,  and  struggled  to  subdue 
her  emotion ;  her  papa  continued  to  look  earn- 
estly through  his  telescope.  "  Is  there  any 
hope,  papa?"  at  length  she  softly  whispered. 
Mr.  Howard  took  the  glass  for  a  moment  from 
his  eye,  and  smiled  upon  Leila. 

"  Ah !  you  are  smiling,  papa ;  and  now  I 
know  there  is  hope — has  it  tacked  again — is  it 
coming  nearer  ?  I  think  I  see  it  more  plainly 
now — I  am  sure  I  do." 

"Yes,  Leila,  you  are  right,  the  vessel  has 
tacked  again,  and  you  do  see  it  more  plainly  ; 
still  the  event  is  uncertain.  I  will  fire  my 
musket  now." 

Mr.  Howard  continued  to  fire  at  intervals. 
The  vessel  advanced  steadily  in  the  direction 
of  the  island.  Once  more  its  white  sails  were 
visible — and,  0  joyful  sound,  his  signal  was  re- 
turned— a  gun  was  fired  from  the  ship.  Mr. 


LEILA.  227 

Howard  raised  his  eyes  to  heaven  ;  Leila  drop- 
ped upon  her  knees  in  silent  prayer. 

"  And  what  is  it  you  see  now,  papa  ?"  she 
exclaimed,  starting  up  after  a  few  minutes' 
interval.  "  What  are  they  doing  now  ?" 

"  They  are  putting  off  a  boat — I  see  men 
stepping  into  it." 

The  boat  seemed  to  bound  quickly  through 
the  glittering  waters — nearer  and  nearer  it 
advanced  towards  them — it  touched  the  shore. 
A  young  officer  leaped  lightly  upon  the 
beach — Leila  sprang  forward  and  clasped  his 
knees. 

"  From  what  planet  have  you  dropped,  fair 
child?"  he  exclaimed,  as  stooping  down  he 
threw  back  thev  bright  ringlets  which  shaded 
her  brow,  and  gazed  earnestly  upon  her  face. 

Mr.  Howard  came  forward ;  in  a  few  words 
he  explained  to  him  their  situation ;  his  com- 
munication was  listened  to  with  the  deepest 
interest;  the  warmest  assurances  were  given 
that  they  would  be  received  with  every  kind- 
ness on  board  the  frigate.  0  what  was  it  to 
him  to  feel  that  they  might  now  see  England 
once  more  !  Already  did  he  seem  in  imagina- 
tion to  touch  the  shores  of  that  loved  land,  from 
which  but  a  few  hours  before  he  had  believed 
himself  to  be  a  hopeless  exile. 

The  happy  group  advanced  together  towards 


228  LEILA. 

the  cave.  The  young  officer  was  delighted 
with  the  beauty  of  the  whole  scene ;  and  when 
Leila's  pets  flocked  around  her,  his  assurance 
that  as  many  as  could  be  quickly  secured  would 
be  received  on  board,  took  from  her  little  heart 
its  only  sorrow.  Was  it  possible  that  any  thing 
could  add  to  such  happiness  ?  Yes,  it  was  still 
increased  by  the  information,  that  he  had  a  little 
girl  on  board  the  frigate,  just  her  age,  who 
would  love  her  as  a  sister. 

Leila  was  eager  to  place  every  refreshment 
the  cave  afforded  before  their  welcome  guest, 
and  the  table  was  quickly  spread  with  fruit, 
milk,  and  rice-cakes  of  her  own  baking.  He 
was  delighted  with  every  thing;  he  assured 
Leila  he  had  never  eaten  such  cakes  before,  and 
taking  up  one  of  them,  and  selecting  a  cluster 
of  grapes,  he  asked  her  leave  to  take  them  back 
to  his  Louisa.  "And  now,  sir,"  he  said,  '•! 
must  leave  yon  for  a  time ;  I  must  inform  my 
captain  of  his  unexpected  guests,  but  I  will  re- 
turn for  you  in  a  couple  of  hours — can  you  be 
ready?" 

Mr.  Howard  assured  him  that  he  could. 

"  I  feel  strangely  unwilling  to  leave  this 
charming  place,"  he  continued,  turning  again  to 
Leila.  "Suppose,  my  little  lady,  we  were  to 
allow  the  ship  to  sail  away,  and  all  to  remain 
happy  here  together  ?  Ah,  I  see  you  are  shak- 


LEILA.  229 

ing  your  head ;  you  do  not  approve  of  my  plan. 
Well,  then,  up  and  be  doing,  fair  lady.  The 
clothes  must  be  packed,  the  pets  must  be 
caught;  no  time  for  the  grass  to  grow  under 
your  fairy  feet.  Adieu,  adieu  1"  In  a  moment 
more  he  was  gone. 

In  the  scene  of  joyful  bustle  and  preparation 
which  succee'ded,  Leila  at  first  had  no  time  for 
reflection ;  but  when  she  had  given  what  assist- 
ance she  could,  and  her  most  cherished  pets 
were  secured,  and  others  set  at  liberty  to  wan- 
der at  will  over  the  island,  with  no  affectionate 
mistress  henceforth  to  care  for  them,  the  full 
tide  of  joy  which  at  first  had  rushed  upon  her 
heart  became  somewhat  of  a  mingled  nature. 
She  felt  the  moment  was  come  when  farewell 
must  be  said  to  her  garden  and  her  bees,  and 
one  last  look  be  given  to  the  fountain-tree. 
The  hum  of  the  bees  was  no  longer  to  her  a 
cheerful  sound,  the  little  rivulet  seemed  no  more 
to  flow  sparkling  and  dimpling  in  the  sunbeams ; 
she  listened  to  its  quiet  tune,  it  was  melancholy 
music,  and  turning  hastily  away,  she  bent  her 
steps  to  Clara's  grave :  here  the  emotions  with 
which  she  had  been  struggling  gave  way  to  a 
burst  of  grief,  and  throwing  herself  upon  the 
grassy  mound,  no-%  covered  with  flowers,  she 
exclaimed,  "Clara,  I  must  leave  you — leave 
you — never  to  return  again ;  but  you  are  not 
20 


230  LEILA. 

here,  you  are  in  heaven,  and  hea\en  is  every 
where.  Yes,  Clara,  you  are  God's  own  child, 
and  shall  I  not  be  God's  child  too,  if  I  love 
him  always  as  I  do  now,  and  pray  to  him  ?  He 
is  sending  me  to  England  now;  but  when  I 
sleep,  you  will  come  to  me  in  my  dream,  and 
when  he  takes  me  to  heaven,  we  shall  be  to- 
gether, and  never  be  sorrowful  any  more."  She 
rose  slowly,  and  gazed  upon  the  scene  around. 
The  sun  was  sinking  into  the  sea ;  its  lingering 
beams  seemed  also  to  be  bidding  farewell  to  the 
beauties  which  surrounded  her.  "  He  will  rise 
again,"  she  murmured,  "  and  make  every  thing 
seem  glad,  but  I  shall  be  far  away."  She 
stooped  over  a  slender  flower  which  was  again 
opening  into  blossom ;  she  had  watched  it  bud 
and  wither :  its  pale  hue  BO  lightly  tinged  with 
colour,  had  recalled  to  her  the  momentary  flush 
in  Clara's  cheek,  and  she  had  called  it  Clara's 
flower.  She  now  carefully  gathered  its  open- 
ing blossoms,  and  put  them  into  her  breast. 
At  that  moment  a  slight  rustling  in  the  neigh- 
bouring thicket  made  her  look  up,  and  a  little 
kid,  in  all  the  enjoyment  of  unaccustomed  free- 
dom, bounded  to  her  side,  and  began  to  lick  her 
hands :  Leila  threw  her  arms  around  it.  "  And 
you  too  I  must  leave,"  she  said ;  "  then  let  me 
feed  you  for  the  last  time ;"  and  gathering  a 
little  of  the  tender  grass,  she  fed  it  from  her 


LEILA.  231 

hand :  then  rising  with  one  last  look  on  Clara's 
grave  she  turned  away;  but  the  little  kid  in- 
sisted on  following  Leila's  steps,  and  it  was  in 
vain  she  pushed  it  from  her.  "  No,"  she  con- 
tinued at  last,  "I  cannot  part  with  you;  surely 
there  must  be  room  for  one  more." 

Scarcely  had  two  hours  passed  away  before 
their  kind-hearted  fnend  appea/ed  again,  follow- 
ed by  several  of  the  sailors  to  give  a  helping 
hand  to  their  preparations ;  and  soon  the  boat 
with  its  precious  cargo  was  dancing  merrily 
on  the  tiny  waves.  Mr.  Howard  and  Leila 
were  too  much  agitated  to  speak ;  nurse  wept 
and  laughed  by  turns ;  while  Dash  and  Selina, 
with  the  various  birds  and  animals,  expressed 
their  satisfaction  in  their  different  ways,  the 
parrot  taking  by  far  the  greater  part  of  the  con- 
versation upon  herself,  and  repeatedly  assuring 
her  silent  audience  that  she  was  a  pretty  crea- 
ture. 

It  still  appeared  to  Leila  as  but  a  dream, 
when  she  suddenly  found  herself  lifted  up  the 
side  of  the  ship,  and  placed  upon  the  deck.  A 
little  girl  stood  there  in  eager  expectation ;  she 
seemed  another  Clara,  but  not  so  pale.  Leila 
sprang  forward,  and  in  a  moment  they  were 
clasped  in  each  other's  arms. 

I  need  not  prolong  my  story.  A  petition 
that  it  might  be  the  will  of  God  to  give  them  4 


232  L  E  I  L  X. 

speedy  and  prosperous  voyage,  formed  part  of 
Mr.  Howard's  evening  prayer.  It  was  the  peti- 
tion of  a  pious  and  grateful  heart,  and  it  wan 
fully  granted. 


TRB  END 


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